A summary of the LOST Panel at Comic-Con (courtesy of DarkUFO):
Friday, July 27, 2007
Comic-Con 2007 - Spoiler Summary
Thanks to all our bloggers who attended last nights Lost Panel at Comic-Con and who bought us all the live updates. I will try to make a summary of all the spoilers from last night.
- Event starts off with a clip with Michael Emerson calling the Others a "Rebel Sect"
- Also on the clip show "By the time you see this I will be dead," says M.C. Gainey).
- Voice-over: "The survival of the Island is now at stake."
- Footage of the Lost game is shown (You can see this in the DarkUFO Home page)
- Carlton says Rachel probably won't be on the Island.
- Damon says the benefits of only doing 16 episodes (versus 22) a year is they can do more ancillary "awesome" stuff.
- Damon and Carlton say don't get too attached to Richard Alpert, because Nestor Carbonell's on CBS' Cane.
- They're writing episode one, but it's still untitled
Shooting starts in four weeks.
Q&A Section
Q) Wants to know about season three's violent turn and that the powers that be to promise that the Others aren't the good guys.
No promises are forthcoming.
Carlton says they wanted a showdown, and that involved a body count.
Damon says our guys are more violent but prettier. "When Sawyer is punching you in the face, you're like, More please, you're so attractive, can you take your shirt off please?" But when Friendly does it, it's relentless violence. Says Damon, "If the violence stays intense, it will at least be perpetrated by catastrophically good-looking people."
Q) Where's Michael?
They announce here that Harold is returning as Michael Dawson, but they tell the questioner they're not talking about how or when he returns.
Q) Re: Flashbacks
Carlton says flashbacks and flashforwards are both on the show going forward. "How far forward" and "with whom" are the Q's.
Q) Will Jack and Claire find out they are related?
Carlton rings the bell on Damon, but Damon nods furiously. The crowd goes wild.
Q) Did Ben get caught by Rousseau on purpose? Did Ben kill the real Henry Gale?
Damon says he will answer one of those questions. The asker chooses the capture question. Carlton: "He got caught by accident." Damon volunteers this, regarding Ben vs. Henry Gale: "They had words."
Flashbacks/Flashforwards
They were running out of plausible flashback material, so it was time to switch gears into flashfowards. The end date allowed them the certainty necessary to add that element into the show without further antagonizing fans. Carlton: "What you saw with Kate and Jack was not the end of the show." Damon: "The show has never really been about getting off the Island...There's this whole chapter of the story that takes place off the Island." Outstanding!
Michael
Carlton, regarding poor crazy Michael, "He took some extreme actions." Michael's story is about the power of the Island to be redemptive. And this won't be a quick pop by Redemption Island; Harold is a series regular. Michael returns early in the fourth season, or so says Damon.
Q) "What questions are fans not asking that we ought to be?"
Carlton: "Who's in the coffin?" and rings the bell on himself. D.L. and C.C. ask Harold, "Who do you think is in the coffin?" Harold thinks it's the person with the teenage son...probably Locke! Damon would ask, "Who's on that freighter out there, and what do they want out of the Island?" Carlton would ask, "Okay, Kate and Jack got off the Island? Did anybody else get off the Island?"
Q) Will we get back to Libby and was she part of Dharma
Carlton: "It is our intention to get to Libby's story this year, and we think you will be happy when we finish that." Damon: "You're not barking up the wrong tree."
Q_ Will there be a Danielle flashback soon?
Damon: "There are important things going on in that story, and they have to sync up." They'll do that syncing in this season or next.
Q) A fan named Aaron asks, "Can I call the monster Cerberus?"
Damon says...On the blast-door map, C.V. stood for Cerberus Vents. "That's Dharma's name for it, maybe. Cerberus is one of it's names." Damon: "Aaron, may I call you Cerberus?" Aaron-Cerberus: The monster seems kind of seems like it represents judgment. Why did Eko have to die? Damon: The whole deal with the monster will be definitely answered. Carlton: The monster answer is "not going to be 10 seconds of blank tape."
Dharma Film
The Comic-Con exclusive clip was "discovered" in "Narvik, Norway."
The promised clip is one of the station orientation films, hosted by Marvin Candle under an alias. The footage begins with him getting his makeup done and smoothing down his Dharma labcoat. Bunnies! It's about bunnies! Bunny #15, to be specific. Marvin, who calls himself Dr. Edgar Halifax in this film, identifies it as station six, the Orchid. He says the viewer has probably realized by now that he or she is not working at a mere botanical research unit. He apologizes for making him or her lie to friends and family members about the nature of the work. He mentions something that sounds like "Kasimir effect" and mentions the "unique properties of the Island." Then there's one of Jacob's subliminal messages. It may have been some variation on "as Jacob loves you." Then there's a bunny riot. One of the station's alarms blares, Dr. Halifax/Marvin panics. There's an intercut clip of someone riding a bicycle. The clip is inserted upside-down, and the rider appears to be in the village green of Otherville...And then, amid the chaos (perhaps this is the Incident?), the filmstrip slides off the reel.
(Film Description thanks to E!Online)
27 July 2007
25 May 2007
Goodbye, Season 3!
Greetings!
So, umm……woh… How about THAT for a finale?? My head is still spinning. Most people who I’ve heard from thoroughly enjoyed last night’s episode but there are still a few who were a little disappointed. I guess that’s normal with a show like LOST, but personally, I cannot imagine a better ending to this season — the Others’ story was pretty much wrapped up (most of the named Others are dead), we had plenty of action (13 deaths!), and we had something that has NEVER been done on LOST…a flash forward!!! I treated myself to the extensive spoilers that were around for this episode and learned of this twist prior to its airing. It ruined the viewing in one sense but enhanced it tremendously in another. Nonetheless, “The Powers That Be” certainly left us with a lot to speculate until February…so why don’t we begin?
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“Through the Looking Glass” -Episode 3.22-23-
1) Charlie — To be honest, over the past season, I began to lose interest in Charlie’s character. We hadn’t seen a flashback of his in a while and that was probably because there wasn’t much more to tell. It seemed like they were keeping him around to be the sarcastic, slightly annoying guy who pops his head into others’ business and makes a dry, but often funny, remark. Or wait…isn’t that Hurley? Anyway, after the last two episodes of the season, Charlie has regained my respect and I feel he deserved the heroic death he was given last night. Of all the characters to leave, I was never as emotionally involved as I was with Charlie last night. Eko used to be my favorite character and even his death was a little flat and left something to be desired. But watching Charlie shut Desmond out of the room (because he knew nothing but that door would stop Des from seeing Pen) and accept his destiny was very powerful. He even continued to think of all the other survivors as he made sure to inform Desmond that Naomi is lying about being part of Pen’s rescue crew. So cheers to the (former) rock star who completed the difficult transformation from addict to hero. You will be missed.
2) Ben and the Others — So Ben is a flippin’ nutjob…right? Weeell, I’m not so sure. I mean sure, he kidnapped a baby and brainwashed her into thinking he is her father and her mother is dead… Sure he basically shot Locke in the back after being threatened by his communion with Jacob… So what if he ordered his “troops” to abduct all pregnant women and kill anyone in their way. He’s still trustworthy, right? It’s true he has a background of creepy Island-man-style rule, but after seeing Jack’s state of mind in the future, Ben might be telling the truth about making that call and/or leaving the Island. Is it possible that they really ARE the good guys? I find that hard to believe…but with LOST, I have no problem believing it can get creepier… Well, whatever the case, it was very enjoyable (at least for me) to see a wrench thrown into Ben’s plans and watch him suffer because of it. I admit it was satisfying to watch Jack land blow after blow upon that liar’s face. I mean, I hate to advocate violence, but if anyone on this show had it coming, it was that guy.
And what’s left of the Others? Does Ben have anyone to lead anymore? If you watched “LOST: The Answers,” Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse (often known singularly as Darlton) said the Others are a group of 30-40 people (“we think…”). If that’s true, then “Jarrah, Kwon and the dentist” just wiped out a good chunk of ‘em, and Mikhail helped that cause as well. So who is left? Richard and his crew? Are they part of Ben’s recruits or are these Richard’s people…the natives? I believe that construction is underway on “The Ruins,” the set for season 4, which will most likely be introduced with the temple that Ben mentions in this episode. I’m reeeeeally hoping they explore the natives a little deeper next year. But until then, we have plenty to discuss…
3) Jacob (Locke and Walt) — I did not write any reviews for the few episodes leading up to this one, and there is one very important thing I want to discuss…Jacob. That scene in “The Man Behind the Curtain” when Ben took Locke to see Jacob was one of my favorites this season. For a minute, I was with Locke and agreed that Ben was a raving madman. It was actually quite humorous watching Ben have a conversation with himself. But after that creepy, “Hellllp Meee,” and seeing Jacob in the chair (you did see him, right?), it looks like Ben was telling another truth. The question bothering me is: what is the relationship between Ben and Jacob? Can Ben really hear Jacob? Does he really follow orders from Jacob? Or is Jacob some sort of prisoner to Ben? Why would Jacob need help? And how can Locke help him? Also, what is the relationship between Jacob and the smoke monster? Are they one in the same? Does Jacob roam the Island in smoke form to gather information about people in order to use figures from their past to lead them in certain ways? Is the perimeter of dust around Jacob’s cabin his prison walls? Or the smoke monster deactivated? Was that actually Walt or Smokey/Jacob taking the form of Walt in order to get John to do his bidding? LOTS of questions surrounding this new mystery and I believe all this will be addressed next season. But it does seem like Locke is taking direct orders from the Island now, as he knew exactly where to go and who to kill. This could be a great direction for his character next season.
4) The Snake in the Mailbox (aka the Flash Forward) — Ahh, yes, now to the really juicy stuff. “Snake in the mailbox” was the name given to the shocking twist that took place in this episode. You know, like you open your mailbox and reach in to grab your mail and BAM!...there’s a snake waiting for you. For the past few weeks many people were guessing at what this moment could be but I don’t think anyone saw this coming (except us spoiler addicts). Spoilers for this finale were leaked over a week ago, before “Greatest Hits” even aired, and many people swore they would stop watching the show if in fact we got a glimpse of Jack off the Island AFTER the action we have seen on the Island. I stray from the word “rescue” because I’m not sure if that is accurate yet. People were complaining that since we now know Jack eventually gets off the Island, none of it matters any more. It doesn’t matter who Jacob is, who/what the smoke monster is, etc., because all the mystery has been taken away. Really?? All of the mystery? Well, how did Jack and Kate get off the Island? Did they all make it? Was anyone left behind? Was Ben right…was making that call a bad move? Who is coming to the Island as a result of this call? Who is Jacob? Who is Naomi? What was Penny doing hanging out in front of a videophone? Was Jack actually seeing those flash forwards or was that absolute truth we were witnessing? Yeah…seems to me there’s a whole other layer of mystery that joined a lot of our original ones so can’t quite see how one could make that claim. I think the move to include a brief vision of the future was a brilliant idea to help breathe new life into the format of the show and I’m racking my brain trying to come up with possibilities of how season 4 will begin…
5) Time Theories Resurface — This episode has brought back, with increasing enthusiasm, many of the time warp/time travel/time loop theories that were brought up most recently with “Flashes Before Your Eyes.” Some tend to believe that Jack has somehow acquired powers similar to Desmond and we will find out at the beginning of season 4 that it was just a vision or dream sequence. I’m not too fond of this idea. Seems like it would be a bit of a cop-out. I think that presenting something like this in the finale gives it a little bit of credibility. Others believe that all the characters are in a time loop and Desmond turning the failsafe key, going back in time and changing things, created a new loop. One in which they get rescued and something apparently terrible happens to make Jack so miserable. Then there are some who think that Kate and Jack are in a different timeline entirely and that’s why Jack’s comment about his dad could be true. In this timeline, Jack’s dad is still alive, Kate is not a fugitive (seems strange that she was not on the run, easily accessible and able to meet Jack on a whim) and Jack has completely lost control. I cannot decide where I stand on this issue. Certainly time plays a very important role in this story and there’s evidence to support and deny every one of these theories. But as usual, I’m not on board quite yet. I still believe we are in one linear timeline, and Jack’s daddy comment was just to confuse us about the flashback/flash forward and also to show just how out of touch with reality Jack is since he returned. Something is fishy though… Jack is apparently “tired of lying” and Kate wants nothing to do with him. What’s going on here?? Any ideas?
6) The Obituary/Funeral — What was this all about? Seemed like this threw Jack even further into his drug-crazed wandering…not to mention his trip to the bridge. Who could this possibly be? Someone who is not friend or family? Someone Kate knows too? Someone from the Island? There are several possibilities, all with their own evidence to support them. A few to consider — Scenario 1: Ben… Naomi’s people arrive on the Island and take Ben since he is the leader of the group that purged the Dharma folks. Jack wants to pay him respect since he now understands Ben was right and they should have never made the rescue call. Kate is disgusted that Jack even wants to go and is trying to distance herself as far away as possible from the Island. This also explains why no one was there at the funeral home (which was named Hoffs/Drawlar, an anagram for Flash Forward). Scenario 2: Locke… Locke is brought back against his will and dies on the mainland. Jack, like with Ben, realizes Locke was right and feels he needs to pay respect. Again, Kate is disgusted at Jack and his obsession with getting back to the Island. And Locke has no friends or family, which would explain the empty viewing. Scenario 3: Michael… Is it possible that Michael did in fact make it off the Island? Was he the only other one that knew about the Island? The final connection Jack had?
7) Season 4 — What do you think season 4 will feature? Has the format changed? Have we said goodbye to flashbacks forever or was this just a tease? Will season 4 be off-Island with flashbacks to the on-Island adventure? Or on-Island with flash forwards? I think they will return to the normal format (at least for next season) with flashbacks because there is still a lot to explain about what is happening on the Island and how the characters’ flashbacks shape the choices they make. I would welcome a new format however. I do like where the show is going. I’m really wondering about the first scene of season 4. Seems like they have created this tradition of letting us see something from an angle we have never seen before: season 2 opens with Desmond in the hatch and they make it look like a flashback…season 3 opens with the book club scene, again making it look like it is taking place off-Island. So what could they possibly do to open season 4? We will all be expecting something unexpected!
8) The Island as Redemption — After watching Jack in the real world post-Island, it made me realize that the Island is Jack’s paradise. First off, Ben was right, Jack has nothing to go back to. Second of all, on the Island Jack always has something to fix. The ultimate problem being rescue, which apparently is a process he has started. Even if he denies it, he thrives on conflict and fixing problems…and there are plenty of both on the Island. I then started thinking about the other characters and asked myself if any of them have something to go back to… Seems like most of the survivors were running away from something, and now they are all safe from whatever that was. I really like the story arc of Jack trying to get back to the Island…back home… What a strange twist that would be… All this time trying to get back to the real world when the Island is what he has been searching for his entire life… Has the Island become Jack’s new home…like Danielle?
9) My Favorite Moments (please feel free to add more) —
*Jack looking all Jim Morrison like, popping pills and listening to Nirvana
* Ben introducing Alex to Rousseau (haha, all bloodied up, lying on the ground but still formally and politely says, “Alex, this is your mother.”)
* Sayid knocking the guy’s legs out from under him and snapping neck with his legs
* Hurley’s homicidal joyride
* Finding out Sayid, Jin and Bernard were still alive
* Watching Des look to find Mikhail nowhere in sight
* Jack’s last line: “We have to go back!!”
------
Well season 3 has been everything I expected and more. We got lots of answers and some HUGE questions, which will pan out over the next three seasons. But, good grief, how are we going to make it to February?? I thought I was going to go nuts during the 13-week hiatus this year so I have no idea what’s going to happen. They have given us plenty to work with and I hope they open up the dialogue more with new websites and similar nuggets of info to work with. Either way, I will be scratching my head for a while as I process everything that has happened, and hopefully I’ll be ready in February when the ride continues…
Thanks to all of you for encouraging me to write! It really helps me sort out my crazy ideas about the show and hopefully it opens the discussion for you and your LOST-addicted friends and family!
Until next time…
Namaste.
SFO
So, umm……woh… How about THAT for a finale?? My head is still spinning. Most people who I’ve heard from thoroughly enjoyed last night’s episode but there are still a few who were a little disappointed. I guess that’s normal with a show like LOST, but personally, I cannot imagine a better ending to this season — the Others’ story was pretty much wrapped up (most of the named Others are dead), we had plenty of action (13 deaths!), and we had something that has NEVER been done on LOST…a flash forward!!! I treated myself to the extensive spoilers that were around for this episode and learned of this twist prior to its airing. It ruined the viewing in one sense but enhanced it tremendously in another. Nonetheless, “The Powers That Be” certainly left us with a lot to speculate until February…so why don’t we begin?
------
“Through the Looking Glass” -Episode 3.22-23-
1) Charlie — To be honest, over the past season, I began to lose interest in Charlie’s character. We hadn’t seen a flashback of his in a while and that was probably because there wasn’t much more to tell. It seemed like they were keeping him around to be the sarcastic, slightly annoying guy who pops his head into others’ business and makes a dry, but often funny, remark. Or wait…isn’t that Hurley? Anyway, after the last two episodes of the season, Charlie has regained my respect and I feel he deserved the heroic death he was given last night. Of all the characters to leave, I was never as emotionally involved as I was with Charlie last night. Eko used to be my favorite character and even his death was a little flat and left something to be desired. But watching Charlie shut Desmond out of the room (because he knew nothing but that door would stop Des from seeing Pen) and accept his destiny was very powerful. He even continued to think of all the other survivors as he made sure to inform Desmond that Naomi is lying about being part of Pen’s rescue crew. So cheers to the (former) rock star who completed the difficult transformation from addict to hero. You will be missed.
2) Ben and the Others — So Ben is a flippin’ nutjob…right? Weeell, I’m not so sure. I mean sure, he kidnapped a baby and brainwashed her into thinking he is her father and her mother is dead… Sure he basically shot Locke in the back after being threatened by his communion with Jacob… So what if he ordered his “troops” to abduct all pregnant women and kill anyone in their way. He’s still trustworthy, right? It’s true he has a background of creepy Island-man-style rule, but after seeing Jack’s state of mind in the future, Ben might be telling the truth about making that call and/or leaving the Island. Is it possible that they really ARE the good guys? I find that hard to believe…but with LOST, I have no problem believing it can get creepier… Well, whatever the case, it was very enjoyable (at least for me) to see a wrench thrown into Ben’s plans and watch him suffer because of it. I admit it was satisfying to watch Jack land blow after blow upon that liar’s face. I mean, I hate to advocate violence, but if anyone on this show had it coming, it was that guy.
And what’s left of the Others? Does Ben have anyone to lead anymore? If you watched “LOST: The Answers,” Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse (often known singularly as Darlton) said the Others are a group of 30-40 people (“we think…”). If that’s true, then “Jarrah, Kwon and the dentist” just wiped out a good chunk of ‘em, and Mikhail helped that cause as well. So who is left? Richard and his crew? Are they part of Ben’s recruits or are these Richard’s people…the natives? I believe that construction is underway on “The Ruins,” the set for season 4, which will most likely be introduced with the temple that Ben mentions in this episode. I’m reeeeeally hoping they explore the natives a little deeper next year. But until then, we have plenty to discuss…
3) Jacob (Locke and Walt) — I did not write any reviews for the few episodes leading up to this one, and there is one very important thing I want to discuss…Jacob. That scene in “The Man Behind the Curtain” when Ben took Locke to see Jacob was one of my favorites this season. For a minute, I was with Locke and agreed that Ben was a raving madman. It was actually quite humorous watching Ben have a conversation with himself. But after that creepy, “Hellllp Meee,” and seeing Jacob in the chair (you did see him, right?), it looks like Ben was telling another truth. The question bothering me is: what is the relationship between Ben and Jacob? Can Ben really hear Jacob? Does he really follow orders from Jacob? Or is Jacob some sort of prisoner to Ben? Why would Jacob need help? And how can Locke help him? Also, what is the relationship between Jacob and the smoke monster? Are they one in the same? Does Jacob roam the Island in smoke form to gather information about people in order to use figures from their past to lead them in certain ways? Is the perimeter of dust around Jacob’s cabin his prison walls? Or the smoke monster deactivated? Was that actually Walt or Smokey/Jacob taking the form of Walt in order to get John to do his bidding? LOTS of questions surrounding this new mystery and I believe all this will be addressed next season. But it does seem like Locke is taking direct orders from the Island now, as he knew exactly where to go and who to kill. This could be a great direction for his character next season.4) The Snake in the Mailbox (aka the Flash Forward) — Ahh, yes, now to the really juicy stuff. “Snake in the mailbox” was the name given to the shocking twist that took place in this episode. You know, like you open your mailbox and reach in to grab your mail and BAM!...there’s a snake waiting for you. For the past few weeks many people were guessing at what this moment could be but I don’t think anyone saw this coming (except us spoiler addicts). Spoilers for this finale were leaked over a week ago, before “Greatest Hits” even aired, and many people swore they would stop watching the show if in fact we got a glimpse of Jack off the Island AFTER the action we have seen on the Island. I stray from the word “rescue” because I’m not sure if that is accurate yet. People were complaining that since we now know Jack eventually gets off the Island, none of it matters any more. It doesn’t matter who Jacob is, who/what the smoke monster is, etc., because all the mystery has been taken away. Really?? All of the mystery? Well, how did Jack and Kate get off the Island? Did they all make it? Was anyone left behind? Was Ben right…was making that call a bad move? Who is coming to the Island as a result of this call? Who is Jacob? Who is Naomi? What was Penny doing hanging out in front of a videophone? Was Jack actually seeing those flash forwards or was that absolute truth we were witnessing? Yeah…seems to me there’s a whole other layer of mystery that joined a lot of our original ones so can’t quite see how one could make that claim. I think the move to include a brief vision of the future was a brilliant idea to help breathe new life into the format of the show and I’m racking my brain trying to come up with possibilities of how season 4 will begin…
5) Time Theories Resurface — This episode has brought back, with increasing enthusiasm, many of the time warp/time travel/time loop theories that were brought up most recently with “Flashes Before Your Eyes.” Some tend to believe that Jack has somehow acquired powers similar to Desmond and we will find out at the beginning of season 4 that it was just a vision or dream sequence. I’m not too fond of this idea. Seems like it would be a bit of a cop-out. I think that presenting something like this in the finale gives it a little bit of credibility. Others believe that all the characters are in a time loop and Desmond turning the failsafe key, going back in time and changing things, created a new loop. One in which they get rescued and something apparently terrible happens to make Jack so miserable. Then there are some who think that Kate and Jack are in a different timeline entirely and that’s why Jack’s comment about his dad could be true. In this timeline, Jack’s dad is still alive, Kate is not a fugitive (seems strange that she was not on the run, easily accessible and able to meet Jack on a whim) and Jack has completely lost control. I cannot decide where I stand on this issue. Certainly time plays a very important role in this story and there’s evidence to support and deny every one of these theories. But as usual, I’m not on board quite yet. I still believe we are in one linear timeline, and Jack’s daddy comment was just to confuse us about the flashback/flash forward and also to show just how out of touch with reality Jack is since he returned. Something is fishy though… Jack is apparently “tired of lying” and Kate wants nothing to do with him. What’s going on here?? Any ideas?
6) The Obituary/Funeral — What was this all about? Seemed like this threw Jack even further into his drug-crazed wandering…not to mention his trip to the bridge. Who could this possibly be? Someone who is not friend or family? Someone Kate knows too? Someone from the Island? There are several possibilities, all with their own evidence to support them. A few to consider — Scenario 1: Ben… Naomi’s people arrive on the Island and take Ben since he is the leader of the group that purged the Dharma folks. Jack wants to pay him respect since he now understands Ben was right and they should have never made the rescue call. Kate is disgusted that Jack even wants to go and is trying to distance herself as far away as possible from the Island. This also explains why no one was there at the funeral home (which was named Hoffs/Drawlar, an anagram for Flash Forward). Scenario 2: Locke… Locke is brought back against his will and dies on the mainland. Jack, like with Ben, realizes Locke was right and feels he needs to pay respect. Again, Kate is disgusted at Jack and his obsession with getting back to the Island. And Locke has no friends or family, which would explain the empty viewing. Scenario 3: Michael… Is it possible that Michael did in fact make it off the Island? Was he the only other one that knew about the Island? The final connection Jack had?
7) Season 4 — What do you think season 4 will feature? Has the format changed? Have we said goodbye to flashbacks forever or was this just a tease? Will season 4 be off-Island with flashbacks to the on-Island adventure? Or on-Island with flash forwards? I think they will return to the normal format (at least for next season) with flashbacks because there is still a lot to explain about what is happening on the Island and how the characters’ flashbacks shape the choices they make. I would welcome a new format however. I do like where the show is going. I’m really wondering about the first scene of season 4. Seems like they have created this tradition of letting us see something from an angle we have never seen before: season 2 opens with Desmond in the hatch and they make it look like a flashback…season 3 opens with the book club scene, again making it look like it is taking place off-Island. So what could they possibly do to open season 4? We will all be expecting something unexpected!
8) The Island as Redemption — After watching Jack in the real world post-Island, it made me realize that the Island is Jack’s paradise. First off, Ben was right, Jack has nothing to go back to. Second of all, on the Island Jack always has something to fix. The ultimate problem being rescue, which apparently is a process he has started. Even if he denies it, he thrives on conflict and fixing problems…and there are plenty of both on the Island. I then started thinking about the other characters and asked myself if any of them have something to go back to… Seems like most of the survivors were running away from something, and now they are all safe from whatever that was. I really like the story arc of Jack trying to get back to the Island…back home… What a strange twist that would be… All this time trying to get back to the real world when the Island is what he has been searching for his entire life… Has the Island become Jack’s new home…like Danielle?9) My Favorite Moments (please feel free to add more) —
*Jack looking all Jim Morrison like, popping pills and listening to Nirvana
* Ben introducing Alex to Rousseau (haha, all bloodied up, lying on the ground but still formally and politely says, “Alex, this is your mother.”)
* Sayid knocking the guy’s legs out from under him and snapping neck with his legs
* Hurley’s homicidal joyride
* Finding out Sayid, Jin and Bernard were still alive
* Watching Des look to find Mikhail nowhere in sight
* Jack’s last line: “We have to go back!!”
------
Well season 3 has been everything I expected and more. We got lots of answers and some HUGE questions, which will pan out over the next three seasons. But, good grief, how are we going to make it to February?? I thought I was going to go nuts during the 13-week hiatus this year so I have no idea what’s going to happen. They have given us plenty to work with and I hope they open up the dialogue more with new websites and similar nuggets of info to work with. Either way, I will be scratching my head for a while as I process everything that has happened, and hopefully I’ll be ready in February when the ride continues…
Thanks to all of you for encouraging me to write! It really helps me sort out my crazy ideas about the show and hopefully it opens the discussion for you and your LOST-addicted friends and family!
Until next time…
Namaste.
SFO
04 May 2007
"The Brig" -Episode 3.19-
Greetings!
I hope this message finds you all well. What an episode, eh? Had to have been creepiest, most twisted episode of LOST this season and (arguably) the entire series. A LOT of subtle hints were dropped in "The Brig" and I honestly cannot decipher every one of them. But one thing is for certain — the next few episodes will take us deeper into the rabbit hole…where I personally would like to stay for a while. ...So... Shall we?
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"The Brig" -Episode 3.19-
1) Locke — So Locke is a free agent, huh? No surprise there... Has he ever really looked out for anyone beside himself? Sure he has helped the LOSTies here or there, maybe even saved a life or two, but we all know that was to advance his own personal agenda of finding "purpose" and fulfilling his "destiny." In season 1, he knocked out Sayid to prevent the group from finding Rousseau's radio signal. In season 2, he wanted to explore the Hatch instead of focusing on protecting everyone from the expected Other raid. Now in season 3, he goes off again as his "own man" to discover the secrets of the Island. But at what price?
I must confess that, while he sometimes annoys me, I am glad to see Locke pursuing this path. You know, even if it involves orchestrating the occasional murder, Locke is pursuing truth and I respect him for that. (Although I don’t know if Ben is the best route to truth...) He seems to be the only one (with Ben as the only possible exception) that fully understands what the Island is capable of. I think he (and hopefully us too!) will be repaid with lots of juicy info about the history and potential of this Island in the coming weeks...
2) Ben (creepy as ever) — Okay, I am still confused about Ben, his motivations and the way he tries to get what he wants. It seems like he goes through SO much trouble to get something that could have been acquired through much less effort. Does anyone have theories on what he is really after? I (almost) believed Richard when he told Locke that the whole infertility thing was not the Others' main objective…buuut I also think he was part of Ben’s scheme to manipulate Locke. And the apparent plan to kidnap the pregnant women points to the infertility issue being a major one. So why manipulate Locke? Does Ben really believe he is special, or is he trying to get something else from him? Could Ben really walk the entire time? Did he simply put on the show to make Locke feel like he is healing him? (With Ben, there always seems to be more questions than answers…)
So the Others are preparing for another raid on the LOSTies. Why would Ben let Locke in on his plans? Did he purposely want the beach peeps to be prepared for a war? Was it his way of letting Juliet know they are on their way? Or was he really showing trust in Locke? And how did Locke get the tape recorder with Juliet’s log? We never saw Ben give it to him…but we did see Ben place it in a very convenient spot while Locke was watching… Ahhh! I reeeally hope next week’s “The Man Behind the Curtain” reveals some more about Ben and what he is really after.
3) The REAL Sawyer (and the Magic Box) — My suspicion, along with many others, that Locke's dad is the REAL Sawyer was finally confirmed...in the most excellent way. One of my hopes for this show is that the characters will begin to realize their off-Island connections. There has to be major significance in the fact that (seemingly) every one is connected, and this was the first major reveal that ended in such a gruesome and intense way. But how exactly did Coop get there? Can the Island really summon what “special” people call for? Was it Locke that brought his father to the Island? Or was it Ben & Co.?
According to Cooper, he is in hell. All he remembers is being slammed into the divider on the highway, riding in the ambulance and then waking up in a room, bound and gagged, to find his “dead” son opening the door (which confirms Naomi’s story that everyone in the “real” world believes there were no 815 survivors…more on that in a sec…) Can we really believe what this master con man is saying?? But if he didn’t believe he was already dead, why was he so adamant about egging on Locke and Sawyer to kill him? Doesn’t his story about the car crash and his Island visit sound a lot like the work of the Others? Seems very likely that they could cause a crash (kind of like how they killed Juliet’s ex-hubby with a bus), drug Coop and bring him to the Island. But when did they do this? It had to have been before Des turn the failsafe key, right? Or is Ben lying again?
4) James Ford — What does the con-man-formerly-known-as-Sawyer do now? Does he finally have the ability to become James Ford? Or will he become even more like the real Sawyer? Well I think he will struggle with this latest incident for a while, but overall this was a major step forward for him. (Yeah, a little weird to say that murder is a step forward…but many things are backward on this Island…) Many are speculating that since he has finally faced this part of his life, the Island will deem him worthy to die. While that has been true for the recently deceased, I would really like to see a transformation of Sawyer. I hope they keep him around for just a little bit longer.
5) Jack & Juliet — There has been a lot of discussion about the brief but important exchange between Jack and Juliet when Kate comes to them with the knowledge of a new person on the Island. Kate is quite confused, as were many viewers, about Jack’s treatment of her. Apparently he completely trusts Juliet — so much so that nothing Kate says would be inappropriate for Jules to hear.
Juliet’s comment, “We should tell her,” was the most intriguing to me in this scene. Were Jack and Juliet expecting the parachutist? Or were they simply aware of the fact that you cannot sent a signal out from the Island? Maybe they have a plan against Ben and don’t feel the LOSTies are ready to hear it. Maybe they are working for Ben and are trying to confuse Kate even more. My personal take on this situation as of now (because we all know next week could reveal something totally different) is that Jack and Juliet are planning against Ben and are waiting for the right time to share with everyone. But after watching the previews for next week when Sawyer plays his little tape of Juliet, I think Jack will be no longer be seen as trustworthy…thus beginning the division of the survivors… Too little, too late, Doc…
6) Naomi — She certainly didn’t have too much to say this episode…but what she did say was very important. So, according to Naomi, the entire plane was found with ALL the bodies accounted for. The outside world thinks everyone on board is dead. At this point, I’m with the group that believes there was a staged plane wreck…by Hanso and/or Widmore…The Hanso Foundation and the Oceanic Airlines websites have led us to believe that the Hanso Foundation was in charge of the search and rescue team for Flight 815. Naomi said that the search team sent small robotic cameras to investigate the wreckage…no DNA tests, no recovering of the bodies, just footage…which would be enough for most people to believe that everyone is dead. I mean, who’s gonna watch the news and say, “Oh! Oh! I bet those are NOT the real bodies! Someone is pulling our leg!” Right…no one…
An interesting thing to note though is that the supposed Flight 815 was discovered of the coast of Bali…which is nowhere near the place the plane really crashed…right? However, if Hanso was in charge of the rescue, I do not find it hard to believe that they skewed the facts and maybe said the plane was in the air a lot longer than it really was and this is where it ended up…
Another theory that has surfaced, with regards to Naomi, is that she is actually there to kill Desmond. She was sent by Charles Widmore who, after learning that Desmond was still alive of the Island, sent someone to finish him for good. Who conducts a search and rescue mission in the middle of the night? She was meant to come to the Island…in secrecy… I think this could play in well to the Naomi-is-there-to-kill-Des theory. I like to hold on to the hope that Penny sent her…but I do trust Sayid’s intuition (which has been dead-on thus far) and he seemed a little skeptical about the whole situation…
7) My crazy input — A couple things I have come across that have not yet shown any validity, but can be supported (or debunked)…
a) Dharma, the Others, the Natives — I am trying to formulate a theory that goes back in time further than anything we have seen. Next season I believe we will have insight into the history of the Island that predates Rousseau and/or Dharma. I have noticed a trend in the story arcs that goes like this… Each season focuses on one major story arc and then briefly introduces what the next season will feature. For example — Season 1 focused on the survival of the LOSTies with the Hatch introduced at the end. Season 2 was all about the hatch with the introduction of the Others at the end. Season 3 focuses on the Others with possibly a little history introduced at the end…Ben’s flashback is next week and I believe we will see how he (and his family?) was involved with the Island. So I HOPE that Season 4 will focus on the four-toed statue, the sacrificial pillar Coop was tied to, and maybe even a little Rousseau backstory…
b) The Island not as we see it — A looooong time ago, during the first season I think, there was a theory about the Island being mobie… Quickly I dismissed the theory, laughing at how obsessed with the show these board-posters were. *sigh* Well, yes I have become one of them…and this theory is making more and more sense to me. Is it that hard to believe that one of the reasons the Island was never found was that is keeps moving? What is the cable that runs into the ocean? Is it possible that it’s an anchor? Or some sort of vessel that can move the Island to a safer place? Of course, it would had to have stayed in the same spot since the electromagnetic anomaly in order for Naomi to find it so…who knows? Maybe they would move the Island after they were exposed by the turning of the failsafe key? Or maybe they would stay put since the lost communications? Am I way over the top here??
-----
Well, unfortunately that’s all the time I have this week. Certainly the “clouds” are starting to clear for us so that we may begin to see a little more of what is happening on our Island. With all that has happened in the past couple of weeks, I have high expectations for the end of this season…and a strong feeling that they will not let us down…
So...
Until next time…
Namaste.
SFO
I hope this message finds you all well. What an episode, eh? Had to have been creepiest, most twisted episode of LOST this season and (arguably) the entire series. A LOT of subtle hints were dropped in "The Brig" and I honestly cannot decipher every one of them. But one thing is for certain — the next few episodes will take us deeper into the rabbit hole…where I personally would like to stay for a while. ...So... Shall we?
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"The Brig" -Episode 3.19-
1) Locke — So Locke is a free agent, huh? No surprise there... Has he ever really looked out for anyone beside himself? Sure he has helped the LOSTies here or there, maybe even saved a life or two, but we all know that was to advance his own personal agenda of finding "purpose" and fulfilling his "destiny." In season 1, he knocked out Sayid to prevent the group from finding Rousseau's radio signal. In season 2, he wanted to explore the Hatch instead of focusing on protecting everyone from the expected Other raid. Now in season 3, he goes off again as his "own man" to discover the secrets of the Island. But at what price?
I must confess that, while he sometimes annoys me, I am glad to see Locke pursuing this path. You know, even if it involves orchestrating the occasional murder, Locke is pursuing truth and I respect him for that. (Although I don’t know if Ben is the best route to truth...) He seems to be the only one (with Ben as the only possible exception) that fully understands what the Island is capable of. I think he (and hopefully us too!) will be repaid with lots of juicy info about the history and potential of this Island in the coming weeks...2) Ben (creepy as ever) — Okay, I am still confused about Ben, his motivations and the way he tries to get what he wants. It seems like he goes through SO much trouble to get something that could have been acquired through much less effort. Does anyone have theories on what he is really after? I (almost) believed Richard when he told Locke that the whole infertility thing was not the Others' main objective…buuut I also think he was part of Ben’s scheme to manipulate Locke. And the apparent plan to kidnap the pregnant women points to the infertility issue being a major one. So why manipulate Locke? Does Ben really believe he is special, or is he trying to get something else from him? Could Ben really walk the entire time? Did he simply put on the show to make Locke feel like he is healing him? (With Ben, there always seems to be more questions than answers…)
So the Others are preparing for another raid on the LOSTies. Why would Ben let Locke in on his plans? Did he purposely want the beach peeps to be prepared for a war? Was it his way of letting Juliet know they are on their way? Or was he really showing trust in Locke? And how did Locke get the tape recorder with Juliet’s log? We never saw Ben give it to him…but we did see Ben place it in a very convenient spot while Locke was watching… Ahhh! I reeeally hope next week’s “The Man Behind the Curtain” reveals some more about Ben and what he is really after.
3) The REAL Sawyer (and the Magic Box) — My suspicion, along with many others, that Locke's dad is the REAL Sawyer was finally confirmed...in the most excellent way. One of my hopes for this show is that the characters will begin to realize their off-Island connections. There has to be major significance in the fact that (seemingly) every one is connected, and this was the first major reveal that ended in such a gruesome and intense way. But how exactly did Coop get there? Can the Island really summon what “special” people call for? Was it Locke that brought his father to the Island? Or was it Ben & Co.?
According to Cooper, he is in hell. All he remembers is being slammed into the divider on the highway, riding in the ambulance and then waking up in a room, bound and gagged, to find his “dead” son opening the door (which confirms Naomi’s story that everyone in the “real” world believes there were no 815 survivors…more on that in a sec…) Can we really believe what this master con man is saying?? But if he didn’t believe he was already dead, why was he so adamant about egging on Locke and Sawyer to kill him? Doesn’t his story about the car crash and his Island visit sound a lot like the work of the Others? Seems very likely that they could cause a crash (kind of like how they killed Juliet’s ex-hubby with a bus), drug Coop and bring him to the Island. But when did they do this? It had to have been before Des turn the failsafe key, right? Or is Ben lying again?
4) James Ford — What does the con-man-formerly-known-as-Sawyer do now? Does he finally have the ability to become James Ford? Or will he become even more like the real Sawyer? Well I think he will struggle with this latest incident for a while, but overall this was a major step forward for him. (Yeah, a little weird to say that murder is a step forward…but many things are backward on this Island…) Many are speculating that since he has finally faced this part of his life, the Island will deem him worthy to die. While that has been true for the recently deceased, I would really like to see a transformation of Sawyer. I hope they keep him around for just a little bit longer.
5) Jack & Juliet — There has been a lot of discussion about the brief but important exchange between Jack and Juliet when Kate comes to them with the knowledge of a new person on the Island. Kate is quite confused, as were many viewers, about Jack’s treatment of her. Apparently he completely trusts Juliet — so much so that nothing Kate says would be inappropriate for Jules to hear.
Juliet’s comment, “We should tell her,” was the most intriguing to me in this scene. Were Jack and Juliet expecting the parachutist? Or were they simply aware of the fact that you cannot sent a signal out from the Island? Maybe they have a plan against Ben and don’t feel the LOSTies are ready to hear it. Maybe they are working for Ben and are trying to confuse Kate even more. My personal take on this situation as of now (because we all know next week could reveal something totally different) is that Jack and Juliet are planning against Ben and are waiting for the right time to share with everyone. But after watching the previews for next week when Sawyer plays his little tape of Juliet, I think Jack will be no longer be seen as trustworthy…thus beginning the division of the survivors… Too little, too late, Doc…
6) Naomi — She certainly didn’t have too much to say this episode…but what she did say was very important. So, according to Naomi, the entire plane was found with ALL the bodies accounted for. The outside world thinks everyone on board is dead. At this point, I’m with the group that believes there was a staged plane wreck…by Hanso and/or Widmore…The Hanso Foundation and the Oceanic Airlines websites have led us to believe that the Hanso Foundation was in charge of the search and rescue team for Flight 815. Naomi said that the search team sent small robotic cameras to investigate the wreckage…no DNA tests, no recovering of the bodies, just footage…which would be enough for most people to believe that everyone is dead. I mean, who’s gonna watch the news and say, “Oh! Oh! I bet those are NOT the real bodies! Someone is pulling our leg!” Right…no one…
An interesting thing to note though is that the supposed Flight 815 was discovered of the coast of Bali…which is nowhere near the place the plane really crashed…right? However, if Hanso was in charge of the rescue, I do not find it hard to believe that they skewed the facts and maybe said the plane was in the air a lot longer than it really was and this is where it ended up…
Another theory that has surfaced, with regards to Naomi, is that she is actually there to kill Desmond. She was sent by Charles Widmore who, after learning that Desmond was still alive of the Island, sent someone to finish him for good. Who conducts a search and rescue mission in the middle of the night? She was meant to come to the Island…in secrecy… I think this could play in well to the Naomi-is-there-to-kill-Des theory. I like to hold on to the hope that Penny sent her…but I do trust Sayid’s intuition (which has been dead-on thus far) and he seemed a little skeptical about the whole situation…
7) My crazy input — A couple things I have come across that have not yet shown any validity, but can be supported (or debunked)…
a) Dharma, the Others, the Natives — I am trying to formulate a theory that goes back in time further than anything we have seen. Next season I believe we will have insight into the history of the Island that predates Rousseau and/or Dharma. I have noticed a trend in the story arcs that goes like this… Each season focuses on one major story arc and then briefly introduces what the next season will feature. For example — Season 1 focused on the survival of the LOSTies with the Hatch introduced at the end. Season 2 was all about the hatch with the introduction of the Others at the end. Season 3 focuses on the Others with possibly a little history introduced at the end…Ben’s flashback is next week and I believe we will see how he (and his family?) was involved with the Island. So I HOPE that Season 4 will focus on the four-toed statue, the sacrificial pillar Coop was tied to, and maybe even a little Rousseau backstory…
b) The Island not as we see it — A looooong time ago, during the first season I think, there was a theory about the Island being mobie… Quickly I dismissed the theory, laughing at how obsessed with the show these board-posters were. *sigh* Well, yes I have become one of them…and this theory is making more and more sense to me. Is it that hard to believe that one of the reasons the Island was never found was that is keeps moving? What is the cable that runs into the ocean? Is it possible that it’s an anchor? Or some sort of vessel that can move the Island to a safer place? Of course, it would had to have stayed in the same spot since the electromagnetic anomaly in order for Naomi to find it so…who knows? Maybe they would move the Island after they were exposed by the turning of the failsafe key? Or maybe they would stay put since the lost communications? Am I way over the top here??
-----
Well, unfortunately that’s all the time I have this week. Certainly the “clouds” are starting to clear for us so that we may begin to see a little more of what is happening on our Island. With all that has happened in the past couple of weeks, I have high expectations for the end of this season…and a strong feeling that they will not let us down…
So...
Until next time…
Namaste.
SFO
26 April 2007
"D.O.C." -Episode 3.18-
Greetings my fellow LOSTheads,
I hope this message finds you well. There have been mixed reviews of this episode, ranging from “Woh…did you see/hear that?” to “Eh…that was it?” My personal reaction was the former, especially after I rewatched the episode, and there were some subtle but important clues as to what is going on and who is “behind the curtain.” For me, the most interesting reveal was Mikhail, the fact that he was still alive, and what he was doing in this episode. But I’ll get to that later… First let’s look at the Sun/Juliet plotline…
(I have already had a few written/email discussions with my fellow LOST fans about “D.O.C.,” so to those who have already listened to me rant about these topics, my apologies… And I’m not going to touch on the flashback as I don’t think anything shown was of great importance, except maybe the fact that Sun was directly (and Jin’s mother indirectly) responsible for Jin becoming one of Mr. Paik’s henchmen.)
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"D.O.C." -Episode 318-
1) Sun & Juliet — After Sun’s encounter with Jack in the garden, she becomes a little suspicious of the whole situation. Jack had been gone for a while and all of a sudden he’s buddy-buddy with Jules and asking several questions about how Sun is feeling and how her pregnancy is going. Following a brief chat with Kate, who gives her a little insight into Juliet’s situation, Sun decides to confront Jules. What she learns is….well, deadly. She decides to trust Juliet as she sees that there is no other option. We have another trek to the medical station, which, for good reason, looks familiar (and, I don’t know about you, gave me a bit of the willies). What we learn is, according to Juliet, Sun conceived on the Island 53 days ago, giving her both good and bad news. Good news — the baby is not Jae’s but Jin’s, which means Jin’s sterility has been reversed, and bad news — Sun’s going to die…Or is she?
There is still (and probably will be for a while) some controversy surrounding Juliet and if we can trust her. It seems that her research, and helping mothers survive on the Island, is what she is passionate about. But I think one thing is more important…her desire to get off the Island. She says (off the record) that she hates Ben. This gives us a little insider info on her situation. Obviously she is doing some dirty work for him but I don’t think she is, or will be, loyal to him. If there is a way to get some revenge on Ben AND get off the Island, you can bet Jules is gonna take advantage of it. So does Juliet have any reason to lie about Sun’s D.O.C.? At this point I do not think so. Some are saying that the timeline is wrong…that 53 days ago doesn’t fit, and that Sun and Jin would have not been together at that time, but I’m gonna overlook that for now and trust that Juliet is telling the truth. I think she cares enough about her work that she will sincerely try to save Sun. Who knows, maybe Sun will be the miracle case on the Island as Rachel was off the Island? And then Juliet can go home??
2) Jack - Compromised? — Sun is wise to question Jack. He has been acting a little differently but I can’t quite put my finger on it. It would be an interesting turn to see him “switch teams,” but until I see some solid proof, I’m holding on to the hope that he is just a little depressed about not being able to leave the Island, and feeling a little awkward being back at the camp after all he has been through. At this point, I do not think Jack is “compromised” in the sense that Michael was last season. I just think he knows a little more about the Others’ work than we do. I mean, even Kate knows that pregnant women die on the Island…but what she didn’t know….
3) Kate Preggers? — …is that Juliet is planning on getting some samples from her. Kate and Sawyer have done the “jungle romp” twice in a short period of time, and from what we learned last night about the male sperm count being fives times higher on the Island, it is very possible that she is pregnant. Was that the plan from the beginning? Is that why Ben told her those two weeks would be unpleasant? Did they bring Kate and Sawyer along to manipulate Jack AND get Kate pregnant? Seems plausible, yes? But if Kate knew, you think she would be a little more worried since she just found out the fate of pregnant women on the Island...
4) Mikhail — Okay, now on to the juicy stuff… Mikhail… Has risen from the dead? There is a lot of discussion about this. Is it possible he and Locke were in cahoots and they faked his death? Did he have an implant (similar to Claire's) that the fence triggered? Or was he simply healed by the Island? Some even say that he is dead and that the Smoke monster took his form, like Eko's brother earlier this season. He did seem alive to me though, and I was happy to see him. His smart lines and mysterious smirks make him a very fun character to watch, creepy as he may be.
So, is Mikhail working as a "free agent" now? The LOSTies (except this group in the jungle) think he is dead and maybe the Others do too? He did specifically ask to “disappear.” It seemed like he didn’t want anyone to know that he was seen. Did he intercept the Others' meeting with the parachutist to get the phone and try to find his own way off the Island?
5) Naomi (the parachutist) and the Satellite Phone — Okay, so we know Naomi recognized Desmond but he had no idea who she was. We were speculating that she was sent by Penny to find Desmond. Well...I think this was her secondary mission. Her primary objective was to help the Others reestablish communication with the outside world. After Hurley accidentally fires the flare, who comes running (not casually walking) right to that spot? …Mikhail… He was looking for someone/something and knew there was an item of great importance to be found…the satellite phone. Whether he knew this because of a chat with Ben & Co., or because he has his own methods of finding out, we do not know. But it did look like he knew what he was looking for. His first question was if the group found anything on her. And was it just me, or did it almost look like she recognized him…?
6) Penny and the Widmore connection — A lot of us have speculated, since Penny's appearance at the end of season 2, that Pen's dad, Charles Widmore, has something to do with the Island. Whether he is funding the research or has a more personal connection is yet to be seen, but Penny had people looking specifically for an electromagnetic anomaly. So it seems at this point that Penny knows a lot more about the Island than we first realized. I think Naomi was sent by Widmore (Charles or Widmore Industries?) to help repair the communications with the outside world, and maybe before she left Pen was like (discreetly or non-discreetly?), "Hey Naomi, here's a pic of my boyfriend. I think he's on the Island. Do you mind taking a look around while you are there?" I think that's why she looked/sounded surprised when she awoke to Desmond’s face because she was not expecting to come across him...
7) Okay, wrap it up — It’s possible that Naomi was also meant to deliver her last line (about the wreckage being found and the passengers being dead) in order to instill some sort of despair. If she is working for Widmore, and by extension Penny, she would have no personal connection the survivors and would not have a problem delivering false news such as that. She is under orders and will most likely do what she is told.
There is the possibility that another plane wreck was staged in order to stop the search, or, as some theories state, somehow two planes exist due to Desmond's recent actions. As usual, I'm not jumping on board yet, but certainly am open to alternate explanations.
Oh, and does anyone speak Italian? I’m preeeetty sure that after Mikhail tended to Naomi’s wound she did not say thank you. That message was for Mikhail alone. I have read a few translations that people provided on the Internet, but the one that keeps coming up is, “I am not alone.” So what would this mean? That help is on the way? For the Others? Some are even saying that Naomi and Widmore have a connection to Dharma and that they have some score to settle with the Others for the research going awry. So maybe she saw Mikhail’s Dharma jumpsuit and was fearful of him so she told him that she was not alone? However this turns out, I hope that by the end of this season, we will have some concrete proof that Widmore is, in fact, directly involved with the Island.
And, of course, this could all be debunked next week...
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Well, folks, that’s all the time I have for now. As always, I would love to hear your theories on what is currently happening and what you think is coming down the pike!
So until next time…
Namaste.
SFO
I hope this message finds you well. There have been mixed reviews of this episode, ranging from “Woh…did you see/hear that?” to “Eh…that was it?” My personal reaction was the former, especially after I rewatched the episode, and there were some subtle but important clues as to what is going on and who is “behind the curtain.” For me, the most interesting reveal was Mikhail, the fact that he was still alive, and what he was doing in this episode. But I’ll get to that later… First let’s look at the Sun/Juliet plotline…
(I have already had a few written/email discussions with my fellow LOST fans about “D.O.C.,” so to those who have already listened to me rant about these topics, my apologies… And I’m not going to touch on the flashback as I don’t think anything shown was of great importance, except maybe the fact that Sun was directly (and Jin’s mother indirectly) responsible for Jin becoming one of Mr. Paik’s henchmen.)
-----
"D.O.C." -Episode 318-
1) Sun & Juliet — After Sun’s encounter with Jack in the garden, she becomes a little suspicious of the whole situation. Jack had been gone for a while and all of a sudden he’s buddy-buddy with Jules and asking several questions about how Sun is feeling and how her pregnancy is going. Following a brief chat with Kate, who gives her a little insight into Juliet’s situation, Sun decides to confront Jules. What she learns is….well, deadly. She decides to trust Juliet as she sees that there is no other option. We have another trek to the medical station, which, for good reason, looks familiar (and, I don’t know about you, gave me a bit of the willies). What we learn is, according to Juliet, Sun conceived on the Island 53 days ago, giving her both good and bad news. Good news — the baby is not Jae’s but Jin’s, which means Jin’s sterility has been reversed, and bad news — Sun’s going to die…Or is she?
There is still (and probably will be for a while) some controversy surrounding Juliet and if we can trust her. It seems that her research, and helping mothers survive on the Island, is what she is passionate about. But I think one thing is more important…her desire to get off the Island. She says (off the record) that she hates Ben. This gives us a little insider info on her situation. Obviously she is doing some dirty work for him but I don’t think she is, or will be, loyal to him. If there is a way to get some revenge on Ben AND get off the Island, you can bet Jules is gonna take advantage of it. So does Juliet have any reason to lie about Sun’s D.O.C.? At this point I do not think so. Some are saying that the timeline is wrong…that 53 days ago doesn’t fit, and that Sun and Jin would have not been together at that time, but I’m gonna overlook that for now and trust that Juliet is telling the truth. I think she cares enough about her work that she will sincerely try to save Sun. Who knows, maybe Sun will be the miracle case on the Island as Rachel was off the Island? And then Juliet can go home??
2) Jack - Compromised? — Sun is wise to question Jack. He has been acting a little differently but I can’t quite put my finger on it. It would be an interesting turn to see him “switch teams,” but until I see some solid proof, I’m holding on to the hope that he is just a little depressed about not being able to leave the Island, and feeling a little awkward being back at the camp after all he has been through. At this point, I do not think Jack is “compromised” in the sense that Michael was last season. I just think he knows a little more about the Others’ work than we do. I mean, even Kate knows that pregnant women die on the Island…but what she didn’t know….
3) Kate Preggers? — …is that Juliet is planning on getting some samples from her. Kate and Sawyer have done the “jungle romp” twice in a short period of time, and from what we learned last night about the male sperm count being fives times higher on the Island, it is very possible that she is pregnant. Was that the plan from the beginning? Is that why Ben told her those two weeks would be unpleasant? Did they bring Kate and Sawyer along to manipulate Jack AND get Kate pregnant? Seems plausible, yes? But if Kate knew, you think she would be a little more worried since she just found out the fate of pregnant women on the Island...
4) Mikhail — Okay, now on to the juicy stuff… Mikhail… Has risen from the dead? There is a lot of discussion about this. Is it possible he and Locke were in cahoots and they faked his death? Did he have an implant (similar to Claire's) that the fence triggered? Or was he simply healed by the Island? Some even say that he is dead and that the Smoke monster took his form, like Eko's brother earlier this season. He did seem alive to me though, and I was happy to see him. His smart lines and mysterious smirks make him a very fun character to watch, creepy as he may be.
So, is Mikhail working as a "free agent" now? The LOSTies (except this group in the jungle) think he is dead and maybe the Others do too? He did specifically ask to “disappear.” It seemed like he didn’t want anyone to know that he was seen. Did he intercept the Others' meeting with the parachutist to get the phone and try to find his own way off the Island?
5) Naomi (the parachutist) and the Satellite Phone — Okay, so we know Naomi recognized Desmond but he had no idea who she was. We were speculating that she was sent by Penny to find Desmond. Well...I think this was her secondary mission. Her primary objective was to help the Others reestablish communication with the outside world. After Hurley accidentally fires the flare, who comes running (not casually walking) right to that spot? …Mikhail… He was looking for someone/something and knew there was an item of great importance to be found…the satellite phone. Whether he knew this because of a chat with Ben & Co., or because he has his own methods of finding out, we do not know. But it did look like he knew what he was looking for. His first question was if the group found anything on her. And was it just me, or did it almost look like she recognized him…?
6) Penny and the Widmore connection — A lot of us have speculated, since Penny's appearance at the end of season 2, that Pen's dad, Charles Widmore, has something to do with the Island. Whether he is funding the research or has a more personal connection is yet to be seen, but Penny had people looking specifically for an electromagnetic anomaly. So it seems at this point that Penny knows a lot more about the Island than we first realized. I think Naomi was sent by Widmore (Charles or Widmore Industries?) to help repair the communications with the outside world, and maybe before she left Pen was like (discreetly or non-discreetly?), "Hey Naomi, here's a pic of my boyfriend. I think he's on the Island. Do you mind taking a look around while you are there?" I think that's why she looked/sounded surprised when she awoke to Desmond’s face because she was not expecting to come across him...
7) Okay, wrap it up — It’s possible that Naomi was also meant to deliver her last line (about the wreckage being found and the passengers being dead) in order to instill some sort of despair. If she is working for Widmore, and by extension Penny, she would have no personal connection the survivors and would not have a problem delivering false news such as that. She is under orders and will most likely do what she is told.
There is the possibility that another plane wreck was staged in order to stop the search, or, as some theories state, somehow two planes exist due to Desmond's recent actions. As usual, I'm not jumping on board yet, but certainly am open to alternate explanations.
Oh, and does anyone speak Italian? I’m preeeetty sure that after Mikhail tended to Naomi’s wound she did not say thank you. That message was for Mikhail alone. I have read a few translations that people provided on the Internet, but the one that keeps coming up is, “I am not alone.” So what would this mean? That help is on the way? For the Others? Some are even saying that Naomi and Widmore have a connection to Dharma and that they have some score to settle with the Others for the research going awry. So maybe she saw Mikhail’s Dharma jumpsuit and was fearful of him so she told him that she was not alone? However this turns out, I hope that by the end of this season, we will have some concrete proof that Widmore is, in fact, directly involved with the Island.
And, of course, this could all be debunked next week...
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Well, folks, that’s all the time I have for now. As always, I would love to hear your theories on what is currently happening and what you think is coming down the pike!
So until next time…
Namaste.
SFO
19 April 2007
"Catch-22" -Episode 3.17-
Greetings fellow LOSToholics,
So, yeah...Desmond is awesome. And so are his episodes. Great dialogue, forwarding narrative and Jin telling scary stories in Korean really kept “Catch-22” on par with the high-quality episodes of the past few weeks. And of course, the (signature) mysterious last scene followed by *DUNNN*...LOST... is always fun.
But what did we learn from this episode? What new questions were raised? What the frick is going on with ol' Desmondo? Well, let's see what we can find out with a dissection of a few momentous events...
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"Catch-22" -Episode 317-
1) Desmond's vision/Catch-22 — I really enjoyed the inside view we got of Desmond's vision in this episode. Before, we only heard him speak of a series a flashes pertaining to upcoming events, but we actually got to experience it first hand this time. And there are some interesting things to note. For example, Charlie dies by an arrow to the throat in Desmond's vision...but he also appears holding the parachute in order to catch the chick that falls from the tree. Hmmm... So he dies but is still around to help the girl get out of the tree? Something's fishy... Is this vision a merging to two different outcomes based on Desmond's decisions? Or maybe a false implanted memory (Ã la Smokey)? The vision also has opened the whole time loop theory again, because the impetus for gathering the group together and going on a trek in this episode was Desmond's vision. But in his vision, what was the reason for taking a journey to that specific part of the Island? Certainly not to go camping... Desmond looked rather determined in his vision so maybe he knew he was going after something that fell from the sky? But how did he know something was going to fall from the sky? Um, his vision... A little loopage ladies and gentlemen?
2) “Sorry, Charlie”— I mean, we were speculating about Charlie’s death from the beginning of the season and after last night I don't think Des is gonna be too worried about saving Charlie anymore. He's fed up with having to worry about him all the time and it is obviously wearing him out. And with this new arrival Desmond's hope can be restored that Penny is still looking for him (more on that later). So maybe he'll last for a couple more episodes but by the end of the season it's…"Goodbye, Mr. Burton..." (Please tell me you've seen Big Trouble in Little China...)
3) Changing the future...Naomi and Penny — So did the fact that Desmond saved Charlie's life change anything...like who fell out of the helicopter? Desmond certainly was expecting to see Penny and I think he is going to blame himself for her not being there. Since he was convinced he needed to follow the vision exactly to get the outcome, I think he believes saving Charlie's life ruined this. BUT, I think it was Naomi coming to the Island all along. They found her pack before Charlie's life was threatened; it contained a Portuguese version of Heller's Catch 22 and the picture of Desmond and Pen so she would know how to identify him. (Remember the last scene in the season 2 finale where the two guys (who spoke Portuguese) detect the electromagnetic anomaly and call Pen?) I'm definitely with the group that thinks Penny sent Naomi to find Desmond. I also believe that help is not far behind, hence the satellite phone. Of course there has to be SOME sort of difficulty finding them because we still have a couple of seasons to go, right?
4) The Helicopter — For the longest time, many thought that the Island was in some distant, secluded area of the planet, but it is very possible that it is right under our noses. The fact that the Island was “hidden” means that it could be virtually anywhere and still not be found. Some believe the (apparent) helicopter in last night’s episode is proof of this. Of course, there are also those who believe that the helicopter sounds were actually Smokey… These people tend to believe that everything without explanation is Smokey…
5) A Plant? — Is it possible that Naomi was sent by someone on the Island to “test” Desmond? Sending plants seems to be a popular theme on the show (Goodwin, Ethan, Ben, Juliet) and I don’t think this is that crazy of a theory. But the whole helicopter crash seems to be an awful lot of work just to test Desmond. And how would they have gotten a copy of the picture of him and Pen? I guess there could be copies of that picture but I have this feeling that this messenger/scout is truly working for Pen.
6) A Coward — Despite Desmond’s past, I feel he has proven himself not to be a coward. Remember in “Flashes Before Your Eyes” when Desmond revealed that he was not trying to save Claire but Charlie instead? Is it possible that these visions were actually meant to help/save Desmond and not Charlie? He has done some of the most heroic acts on the show (from turning the failsafe key to saving Charlie’s life (on numerous occasions)) and maybe the Island is giving him these visions so he will not feel like a coward and realize he is worthy of Penny.
7) The Picture — When Desmond goes to return his habit after being “fired” by the head monk, we get a brief shot of a photo on the monk’s desk. You know they put that there for a reason, right? I didn’t see it when it aired but thanks to the dedicated crazies, someone posted a link to the screencap. Would you like to see? http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/4117/bscap0yu5.jpg Yep, that’s right, it’s the chick in the jewelry shop that was trying to get Desmond to NOT buy the ring. Remember? The one that taught him about the universe course-correcting itself? Good grief that looks like an awful Photoshopping job. And is it just me or does that monk not really look monkish in that picture? There must be significance to this. Could it be that someone was keeping tabs on Des all along and this was just another person to steer him in the direction of the Island? Hmmm, it’s certainly arguable. But we know that things like this picture do not show up without reason.
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I’m pretty sure I didn’t cover everything I originally intended but there are a few points to springboard the discussion. I would love to hear what you thought about this episode! Anyone have any ideas what the season 3 finale is going to feature?? I’m getting extremely excited about the next few episodes, but along with that comes the realization that it will be followed by months of waiting…I hope they leave us with a good cliffhanger so we will have much to discuss during the break.
Until next time…
Namaste.
SFO
So, yeah...Desmond is awesome. And so are his episodes. Great dialogue, forwarding narrative and Jin telling scary stories in Korean really kept “Catch-22” on par with the high-quality episodes of the past few weeks. And of course, the (signature) mysterious last scene followed by *DUNNN*...LOST... is always fun.
But what did we learn from this episode? What new questions were raised? What the frick is going on with ol' Desmondo? Well, let's see what we can find out with a dissection of a few momentous events...
-----
"Catch-22" -Episode 317-
1) Desmond's vision/Catch-22 — I really enjoyed the inside view we got of Desmond's vision in this episode. Before, we only heard him speak of a series a flashes pertaining to upcoming events, but we actually got to experience it first hand this time. And there are some interesting things to note. For example, Charlie dies by an arrow to the throat in Desmond's vision...but he also appears holding the parachute in order to catch the chick that falls from the tree. Hmmm... So he dies but is still around to help the girl get out of the tree? Something's fishy... Is this vision a merging to two different outcomes based on Desmond's decisions? Or maybe a false implanted memory (Ã la Smokey)? The vision also has opened the whole time loop theory again, because the impetus for gathering the group together and going on a trek in this episode was Desmond's vision. But in his vision, what was the reason for taking a journey to that specific part of the Island? Certainly not to go camping... Desmond looked rather determined in his vision so maybe he knew he was going after something that fell from the sky? But how did he know something was going to fall from the sky? Um, his vision... A little loopage ladies and gentlemen?
2) “Sorry, Charlie”— I mean, we were speculating about Charlie’s death from the beginning of the season and after last night I don't think Des is gonna be too worried about saving Charlie anymore. He's fed up with having to worry about him all the time and it is obviously wearing him out. And with this new arrival Desmond's hope can be restored that Penny is still looking for him (more on that later). So maybe he'll last for a couple more episodes but by the end of the season it's…"Goodbye, Mr. Burton..." (Please tell me you've seen Big Trouble in Little China...)
3) Changing the future...Naomi and Penny — So did the fact that Desmond saved Charlie's life change anything...like who fell out of the helicopter? Desmond certainly was expecting to see Penny and I think he is going to blame himself for her not being there. Since he was convinced he needed to follow the vision exactly to get the outcome, I think he believes saving Charlie's life ruined this. BUT, I think it was Naomi coming to the Island all along. They found her pack before Charlie's life was threatened; it contained a Portuguese version of Heller's Catch 22 and the picture of Desmond and Pen so she would know how to identify him. (Remember the last scene in the season 2 finale where the two guys (who spoke Portuguese) detect the electromagnetic anomaly and call Pen?) I'm definitely with the group that thinks Penny sent Naomi to find Desmond. I also believe that help is not far behind, hence the satellite phone. Of course there has to be SOME sort of difficulty finding them because we still have a couple of seasons to go, right?
4) The Helicopter — For the longest time, many thought that the Island was in some distant, secluded area of the planet, but it is very possible that it is right under our noses. The fact that the Island was “hidden” means that it could be virtually anywhere and still not be found. Some believe the (apparent) helicopter in last night’s episode is proof of this. Of course, there are also those who believe that the helicopter sounds were actually Smokey… These people tend to believe that everything without explanation is Smokey…
5) A Plant? — Is it possible that Naomi was sent by someone on the Island to “test” Desmond? Sending plants seems to be a popular theme on the show (Goodwin, Ethan, Ben, Juliet) and I don’t think this is that crazy of a theory. But the whole helicopter crash seems to be an awful lot of work just to test Desmond. And how would they have gotten a copy of the picture of him and Pen? I guess there could be copies of that picture but I have this feeling that this messenger/scout is truly working for Pen.
6) A Coward — Despite Desmond’s past, I feel he has proven himself not to be a coward. Remember in “Flashes Before Your Eyes” when Desmond revealed that he was not trying to save Claire but Charlie instead? Is it possible that these visions were actually meant to help/save Desmond and not Charlie? He has done some of the most heroic acts on the show (from turning the failsafe key to saving Charlie’s life (on numerous occasions)) and maybe the Island is giving him these visions so he will not feel like a coward and realize he is worthy of Penny.
7) The Picture — When Desmond goes to return his habit after being “fired” by the head monk, we get a brief shot of a photo on the monk’s desk. You know they put that there for a reason, right? I didn’t see it when it aired but thanks to the dedicated crazies, someone posted a link to the screencap. Would you like to see? http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/4117/bscap0yu5.jpg Yep, that’s right, it’s the chick in the jewelry shop that was trying to get Desmond to NOT buy the ring. Remember? The one that taught him about the universe course-correcting itself? Good grief that looks like an awful Photoshopping job. And is it just me or does that monk not really look monkish in that picture? There must be significance to this. Could it be that someone was keeping tabs on Des all along and this was just another person to steer him in the direction of the Island? Hmmm, it’s certainly arguable. But we know that things like this picture do not show up without reason.
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I’m pretty sure I didn’t cover everything I originally intended but there are a few points to springboard the discussion. I would love to hear what you thought about this episode! Anyone have any ideas what the season 3 finale is going to feature?? I’m getting extremely excited about the next few episodes, but along with that comes the realization that it will be followed by months of waiting…I hope they leave us with a good cliffhanger so we will have much to discuss during the break.
Until next time…
Namaste.
SFO
13 April 2007
"One of Us" -Episode 3.16-
So I was trying to avoid the spoilers for this episode...I was successful, and let me tell ya, it was a totally different experience... However, since "One of Us" was so full of LOSTy goodness, I HAD to take a peak at what was coming next and...woh...
More on that later...
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"One of Us" -Episode 316-
1) Juliet's Transformation — The difference between pre-Island Juliet and creepy Juliet is significant. In her flashback she was a shy, nervous, harmless doctor who did not want attention for the work she was doing. But three years on our Island and BAM! — kill a brutha, con multiple others, and maintain a slight half-crooked smirk. One thing hasn't changed, however, and that's the fact that she will do anything to get off that Island. I'm assuming at this point the conversation between Ben and Juliet at the end of the episode was after the submarine was destroyed. This is Juliet's new "deal" to get off this Island...
2) The Deal/Juliet's Mission — (Let me just that I like how they gave us that little mole-morsel as the end. They could have left us in the dark about Juliet's mission for a few more weeks but it definitely added a lot to this episode.) What exactly is Juliet's objective in this infiltration? My initial thought was Aaron. Ethan sure wanted Aaron, and now Ben is sending Juliet for him. I'm not sure if I'm convinced that Ethan was working alone but there are some interesting claims otherwise. Since mothers cannot carry to term on the Island (and Juliet states that she thinks this happens at conception), Claire is an excellent test subject because she conceived several months prior to arriving on the Island. This could be the "miracle" baby that saves the Others from the sickness.
Or could Sun be the reason Juliet was sent? It's possible that the Others know about Sun's pregnancy and they wanted her for a test subject. The serum Juliet concocted could have been developed by the time the LOSTies arrived, but they did not get a chance to test it because Claire escaped. So Round 2, Sun.
Maybe it's a combination of both? Juliet could have been sent for Claire, but someone could tell her about Sun (*cough* Kate). And Juliet SO badly wants to test her drugs that she springs for ol' Sunny. Either way, it's bound to be juicy.
3) Ben's knowledge — So, wait, did Ben know the plane was coming? I thought "no" immediately after the episode, but then...Ben lies. Ben ALWAYS lies. So he could have been (and probably was) totally conning Juliet while she was there — telling her that her sister's cancer had come back (with some VERY convincing charts to back it up, ha), that they can have a live feed of Rachel whenever they wanted, and about not knowing the plane was coming. (I love Ben's little remark, "There could even be a mother on that plane." Like he didn't know.) Ben said that he exploits what people are emotionally attached to and Rachel is excellent leverage for him. Some even say Ben might have Desmond-style powers. He tells Locke about the things the Island gives you and/or allows you to see and this would explain the intricacies of Ben's plans. But as of right now, I'm still thinkin' he's just a sketchball who's been on the Island for WAY too long. (*deep breath* I mean he goes through all that trouble pretending to be Henry Gale to check out Jack and then abducts him, Kate, and Sawyer to make Kate and Sawyer work and live in cages until they have sex so Jack will see and do the surgery, instead of kindly saying, "Hey welcome to the Island, we have houses and food and electricity and running water and I'll let you enjoy these luxuries 'cause you just survived a plane crash...and maybe you can help me out with a little back surg?" Of course, then we would have another ER/Grey's Anatomy/insert generic medical show here, and not the show we've come to love.)
4) The Showdown — I got so excited when I saw Sayid and Sawyer marching up to Juliet in the jungle. "Awww yeah, the tables have turned, time for some torture, Sayid-style." Instead, Juliet froze them in their tracks with her "knowledge" of their past. I do think it's weird that Juliet knew about Sawyer killing the fish-and-chips guy "the night before he boarded the plane"...no one was around for that...just a random murder. And some have pointed out that Sawyer was actually serving three days in prison for a completely unrelated crime (disrupting the Prime Minister or something?) before he was deported (on Flight 815) back to the U.S. So either Juliet had some misinformation or was just confused with her facts, but either way Sawyer probably picked up on it and will be very reluctant to trust her. And Sayid? He's gotta have some time alone with Juliet soon...I hope...
5) The Implant — So Ben injected a device in Claire that he can activate at any time he chooses? When did this occur? Was it when Ethan brought Claire back for some tests in season 1? Juliet says Claire's illness was caused because Ethan (acting on his own) injected her with juice and that she's having withdrawals (um, two months later?). Yeah, I think she's lying. The juice and the device are two different things. Maybe they really were trying to help Claire with the injections and placed a tracking system/illness-causer in the process?
Is Jack in on this plan? Did Ben or Juliet tell him about his relation to Claire and Aaron? Maybe he will help Juliet get Aaron because he believes it's the right thing to do to save his family? Or maybe he really thinks he's found someone to trust on the Island? Jack, Claire and Aaron all seem to be integral to what's happening right now and I'm very interested to see how this will pan out.
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This just might have been the most informational episode of the season...so far... If you don't want insight into what is coming up in the remaining episodes DO NOT scroll down!!!
For those of you that will leave us now, let me say...
Namaste.
SFO
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Welcome.
As I mentioned, I HAD to look at some of the end-of-the-season-stretch spoilers and I would like to share two nuggets of info with you. Now this is not 100 percent confirmed. It's from someone who apparently got the info from an "insider." Most of the time this stuff is hit-or-miss, but I find these theories to be very probable.
1) Episode 319 will be different than ANY other LOST episode ever aired — NO flashbacks... AND supposedly a large season 1 "mystery" will be solved/revealed. I think I know what it's going to feature... Okay, so, I believe we were told that we would not see Locke again until this episode. And apparently Cooper is on the cast list and scheduled to make another appearance. Can anyone say Locke/Sawyer/Cooper(AKA the REAL Sawyer) showdown?? Oooo, I hope this is it! It would be an excellent meeting!
2) The season 3 finale was originally going to be a Ben flashback. But now it seems that it will be centered on Jack and the cliffhanger will be around him. The proposed flashback schedule for the rest of the season is as follows:
317 - Desmond
318 - Jin and Sun
319 - no flashbacks!
320 - Ben (maybe with a Karen and Gerald DeGroot appearance??)
321 Charlie (goodbye, Mr. Pace)
322-23 Jack
Again, not sure if these are completely accurate but it would make an interesting end to this already crazy season!
Until next time...
SFO
More on that later...
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"One of Us" -Episode 316-
1) Juliet's Transformation — The difference between pre-Island Juliet and creepy Juliet is significant. In her flashback she was a shy, nervous, harmless doctor who did not want attention for the work she was doing. But three years on our Island and BAM! — kill a brutha, con multiple others, and maintain a slight half-crooked smirk. One thing hasn't changed, however, and that's the fact that she will do anything to get off that Island. I'm assuming at this point the conversation between Ben and Juliet at the end of the episode was after the submarine was destroyed. This is Juliet's new "deal" to get off this Island...
2) The Deal/Juliet's Mission — (Let me just that I like how they gave us that little mole-morsel as the end. They could have left us in the dark about Juliet's mission for a few more weeks but it definitely added a lot to this episode.) What exactly is Juliet's objective in this infiltration? My initial thought was Aaron. Ethan sure wanted Aaron, and now Ben is sending Juliet for him. I'm not sure if I'm convinced that Ethan was working alone but there are some interesting claims otherwise. Since mothers cannot carry to term on the Island (and Juliet states that she thinks this happens at conception), Claire is an excellent test subject because she conceived several months prior to arriving on the Island. This could be the "miracle" baby that saves the Others from the sickness.
Or could Sun be the reason Juliet was sent? It's possible that the Others know about Sun's pregnancy and they wanted her for a test subject. The serum Juliet concocted could have been developed by the time the LOSTies arrived, but they did not get a chance to test it because Claire escaped. So Round 2, Sun.
Maybe it's a combination of both? Juliet could have been sent for Claire, but someone could tell her about Sun (*cough* Kate). And Juliet SO badly wants to test her drugs that she springs for ol' Sunny. Either way, it's bound to be juicy.
3) Ben's knowledge — So, wait, did Ben know the plane was coming? I thought "no" immediately after the episode, but then...Ben lies. Ben ALWAYS lies. So he could have been (and probably was) totally conning Juliet while she was there — telling her that her sister's cancer had come back (with some VERY convincing charts to back it up, ha), that they can have a live feed of Rachel whenever they wanted, and about not knowing the plane was coming. (I love Ben's little remark, "There could even be a mother on that plane." Like he didn't know.) Ben said that he exploits what people are emotionally attached to and Rachel is excellent leverage for him. Some even say Ben might have Desmond-style powers. He tells Locke about the things the Island gives you and/or allows you to see and this would explain the intricacies of Ben's plans. But as of right now, I'm still thinkin' he's just a sketchball who's been on the Island for WAY too long. (*deep breath* I mean he goes through all that trouble pretending to be Henry Gale to check out Jack and then abducts him, Kate, and Sawyer to make Kate and Sawyer work and live in cages until they have sex so Jack will see and do the surgery, instead of kindly saying, "Hey welcome to the Island, we have houses and food and electricity and running water and I'll let you enjoy these luxuries 'cause you just survived a plane crash...and maybe you can help me out with a little back surg?" Of course, then we would have another ER/Grey's Anatomy/insert generic medical show here, and not the show we've come to love.)
4) The Showdown — I got so excited when I saw Sayid and Sawyer marching up to Juliet in the jungle. "Awww yeah, the tables have turned, time for some torture, Sayid-style." Instead, Juliet froze them in their tracks with her "knowledge" of their past. I do think it's weird that Juliet knew about Sawyer killing the fish-and-chips guy "the night before he boarded the plane"...no one was around for that...just a random murder. And some have pointed out that Sawyer was actually serving three days in prison for a completely unrelated crime (disrupting the Prime Minister or something?) before he was deported (on Flight 815) back to the U.S. So either Juliet had some misinformation or was just confused with her facts, but either way Sawyer probably picked up on it and will be very reluctant to trust her. And Sayid? He's gotta have some time alone with Juliet soon...I hope...
5) The Implant — So Ben injected a device in Claire that he can activate at any time he chooses? When did this occur? Was it when Ethan brought Claire back for some tests in season 1? Juliet says Claire's illness was caused because Ethan (acting on his own) injected her with juice and that she's having withdrawals (um, two months later?). Yeah, I think she's lying. The juice and the device are two different things. Maybe they really were trying to help Claire with the injections and placed a tracking system/illness-causer in the process?
Is Jack in on this plan? Did Ben or Juliet tell him about his relation to Claire and Aaron? Maybe he will help Juliet get Aaron because he believes it's the right thing to do to save his family? Or maybe he really thinks he's found someone to trust on the Island? Jack, Claire and Aaron all seem to be integral to what's happening right now and I'm very interested to see how this will pan out.
-----
This just might have been the most informational episode of the season...so far... If you don't want insight into what is coming up in the remaining episodes DO NOT scroll down!!!
For those of you that will leave us now, let me say...
Namaste.
SFO
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.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Welcome.
As I mentioned, I HAD to look at some of the end-of-the-season-stretch spoilers and I would like to share two nuggets of info with you. Now this is not 100 percent confirmed. It's from someone who apparently got the info from an "insider." Most of the time this stuff is hit-or-miss, but I find these theories to be very probable.
1) Episode 319 will be different than ANY other LOST episode ever aired — NO flashbacks... AND supposedly a large season 1 "mystery" will be solved/revealed. I think I know what it's going to feature... Okay, so, I believe we were told that we would not see Locke again until this episode. And apparently Cooper is on the cast list and scheduled to make another appearance. Can anyone say Locke/Sawyer/Cooper(AKA the REAL Sawyer) showdown?? Oooo, I hope this is it! It would be an excellent meeting!
2) The season 3 finale was originally going to be a Ben flashback. But now it seems that it will be centered on Jack and the cliffhanger will be around him. The proposed flashback schedule for the rest of the season is as follows:
317 - Desmond
318 - Jin and Sun
319 - no flashbacks!
320 - Ben (maybe with a Karen and Gerald DeGroot appearance??)
321 Charlie (goodbye, Mr. Pace)
322-23 Jack
Again, not sure if these are completely accurate but it would make an interesting end to this already crazy season!
Until next time...
SFO
22 March 2007
"The Man From Tallahassee" -Episode 3.13-
Greetings fellow LOSToholics!
Did ya miss me? =) I regret not being able to comment on the past few episodes, but I HAD to make time to begin the discussion again because so many new things are beginning to happen. From Mikhail to "the box" to Mr. Cooper's apparent Island visit, we are certainly getting a much clearer picture of what is going on...or are things getting even more muddled?
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"The Man From Tallahassee" -Episode 313-
What an awesome episode — perfect for following "Par Avion." It was nice to see some of the questions that were raised just last week answered in this episode, because I was starting to get used to waiting a season or two to get an answer! Aaaanyway, let's look at some of the most important events from last night's "The Man From Tallahassee."
1) Locke's paralysis revealed — Fans have been wanting this answer since we first learned of Locke's former wheelchair days in season 1, and I can't believe we waited this long. But it came at the perfect time. This episode yet again strengthened my faith that the writers/creators know what they are doing. (For a second there it felt like we were heading nowhere, but the momentum is picking up again and I feel it is going to continue to build until the end of the season.)
So, Anthony Cooper is one heartless bastard, eh? I mean pushing your son out of a window because you are trying to hide the fact that you killed (directly or indirectly?) your future son-in-law is like...well, what we would expect from Mr. Cooper, I guess. Right? Any ideas on when this flashback took place with regards to Locke’s previous ones?
2) Cooper: the REAL Sawyer? — For some fans, this episode furthered the theory that Anthony Cooper is the real Sawyer, the one that conned James Ford’s parents. We have learned from this flashback and others that Anthony Cooper is a seasoned conman, who has been in the business for quite some time. His specialty, as Locke pointed out, is pretending to be family to people who need it. This fits very well with Ford’s story and would be a great reveal at some point in the series…BUT, will he live long enough for Ford to find out??
3) The Box, Locke’s revenge and Ben’s manipulation — So there is a LOT of discussion on what the box is that Ben mentions in this episode. Some believe it is just a ploy to fool Locke while others believe there is actually a physical box that can produce what Ben claims. Right now, I am under the impression that the box is the Island itself. Here, Locke can receive anything he wants — with being healed and closure to his daddy issues at the top of this list. However, some claim that the box is actually the smoke monster since we have seen it appear in various forms throughout the series. Which leads to the question, “Is Cooper actually there?” I am not convinced of Coop being the smoke just yet but it would make an interesting twist. So what exactly is Locke going to do? Both him and Cooper looked extremely frightened when they saw each other and I have a hard time trying to predict what is going to happen with this situation.
What we do know is that Ben was really coming for Locke when he was captured in season 2. Now it makes sense why he would put himself in such danger when he had a tumor. Here’s how I think it went down: Ben learns that Locke’s paralysis was healed when he crashed on the Island. Ben does not understand how Locke can be healed while he cannot. Ben gets jealous, rounds up Cooper for leverage, and goes to get Locke under the guise of Henry Gale. Ben also uses his trek to learn about the spinal surgeon on the Island as a back-up plan. Of course I am not sure if this is how/why it happened but it does seem that Ben wants what Locke has. And there is ALWAYS the possibility that Ben is lying about everything and he is very carefully manipulating Locke in order to get what he wants.
4) The end of Locke…as a LOSTie — So Jack and Juliet were getting ready to leave the Island…and Locke possibly ruined it all. Man, that look Jack gave Locke after the sub (apparently) blew up looked like it might be the beginning of the end for our friend John. His motivations are purely self-serving, as he does not care about the safety or welfare of the LOSTies. I can really see Locke staying behind with Ben to learn more about the Island and what his role might be. Seems like Ben has plans for Locke…. But…
5) Locke manipulating Ben? — Did Locke really blow up the sub? We see Locke enter the sub and it looks like he is going to place the C4 somewhere inside. But when Jack and Co. arrive at the site, Locke is dripping wet. Soooo, is it possible that Locke moved the sub (or set it adrift) and blew up the dock (or something else) just to create the illusion that there is no way off the Island? Like how Ben created a similar illusion? Maybe he accepted that Ben was manipulating him and so he did not want to give Ben what he wanted. However, it does seem more likely that Locke was simply acting selfishly to kill any chance of escape.
6) Jack and the Others — Does anyone else think that Jack knows a little more about the Others than we do? At one point when we was talking with Kate alone, it almost sounded like he was going to repeat Mikhail’s line: “You…are not…capable of understanding…” Makes me wonder how much Jack knows about the Others’ mission and if there were any other conditions to the deal he made with them.
7) Alpert appears — Dr. Alpert aka Richard aka the Mittelos recruiter made an appearance last night. Where has he been all this time? Seems like he is Ben’s right-hand man as Ben was not afraid to discuss anything around him (for example…when he told Locke that he had to create the illusion that the Others could leave any time they wanted…something he probably didn’t want any of the Others to know). Well we do know that there is definitely a direct connection between Mittelos, the Island and who is controlling the Island (although we don’t know who that is).
-----
Well I know I’m just scratching the surface here, and I would love to hear what you thought of the episode, so feel free to respond and voice your theories!
Until next time…
Namaste.
SFO
Did ya miss me? =) I regret not being able to comment on the past few episodes, but I HAD to make time to begin the discussion again because so many new things are beginning to happen. From Mikhail to "the box" to Mr. Cooper's apparent Island visit, we are certainly getting a much clearer picture of what is going on...or are things getting even more muddled?
-----
"The Man From Tallahassee" -Episode 313-
What an awesome episode — perfect for following "Par Avion." It was nice to see some of the questions that were raised just last week answered in this episode, because I was starting to get used to waiting a season or two to get an answer! Aaaanyway, let's look at some of the most important events from last night's "The Man From Tallahassee."
1) Locke's paralysis revealed — Fans have been wanting this answer since we first learned of Locke's former wheelchair days in season 1, and I can't believe we waited this long. But it came at the perfect time. This episode yet again strengthened my faith that the writers/creators know what they are doing. (For a second there it felt like we were heading nowhere, but the momentum is picking up again and I feel it is going to continue to build until the end of the season.)
So, Anthony Cooper is one heartless bastard, eh? I mean pushing your son out of a window because you are trying to hide the fact that you killed (directly or indirectly?) your future son-in-law is like...well, what we would expect from Mr. Cooper, I guess. Right? Any ideas on when this flashback took place with regards to Locke’s previous ones?
2) Cooper: the REAL Sawyer? — For some fans, this episode furthered the theory that Anthony Cooper is the real Sawyer, the one that conned James Ford’s parents. We have learned from this flashback and others that Anthony Cooper is a seasoned conman, who has been in the business for quite some time. His specialty, as Locke pointed out, is pretending to be family to people who need it. This fits very well with Ford’s story and would be a great reveal at some point in the series…BUT, will he live long enough for Ford to find out??
3) The Box, Locke’s revenge and Ben’s manipulation — So there is a LOT of discussion on what the box is that Ben mentions in this episode. Some believe it is just a ploy to fool Locke while others believe there is actually a physical box that can produce what Ben claims. Right now, I am under the impression that the box is the Island itself. Here, Locke can receive anything he wants — with being healed and closure to his daddy issues at the top of this list. However, some claim that the box is actually the smoke monster since we have seen it appear in various forms throughout the series. Which leads to the question, “Is Cooper actually there?” I am not convinced of Coop being the smoke just yet but it would make an interesting twist. So what exactly is Locke going to do? Both him and Cooper looked extremely frightened when they saw each other and I have a hard time trying to predict what is going to happen with this situation.
What we do know is that Ben was really coming for Locke when he was captured in season 2. Now it makes sense why he would put himself in such danger when he had a tumor. Here’s how I think it went down: Ben learns that Locke’s paralysis was healed when he crashed on the Island. Ben does not understand how Locke can be healed while he cannot. Ben gets jealous, rounds up Cooper for leverage, and goes to get Locke under the guise of Henry Gale. Ben also uses his trek to learn about the spinal surgeon on the Island as a back-up plan. Of course I am not sure if this is how/why it happened but it does seem that Ben wants what Locke has. And there is ALWAYS the possibility that Ben is lying about everything and he is very carefully manipulating Locke in order to get what he wants.
4) The end of Locke…as a LOSTie — So Jack and Juliet were getting ready to leave the Island…and Locke possibly ruined it all. Man, that look Jack gave Locke after the sub (apparently) blew up looked like it might be the beginning of the end for our friend John. His motivations are purely self-serving, as he does not care about the safety or welfare of the LOSTies. I can really see Locke staying behind with Ben to learn more about the Island and what his role might be. Seems like Ben has plans for Locke…. But…
5) Locke manipulating Ben? — Did Locke really blow up the sub? We see Locke enter the sub and it looks like he is going to place the C4 somewhere inside. But when Jack and Co. arrive at the site, Locke is dripping wet. Soooo, is it possible that Locke moved the sub (or set it adrift) and blew up the dock (or something else) just to create the illusion that there is no way off the Island? Like how Ben created a similar illusion? Maybe he accepted that Ben was manipulating him and so he did not want to give Ben what he wanted. However, it does seem more likely that Locke was simply acting selfishly to kill any chance of escape.
6) Jack and the Others — Does anyone else think that Jack knows a little more about the Others than we do? At one point when we was talking with Kate alone, it almost sounded like he was going to repeat Mikhail’s line: “You…are not…capable of understanding…” Makes me wonder how much Jack knows about the Others’ mission and if there were any other conditions to the deal he made with them.
7) Alpert appears — Dr. Alpert aka Richard aka the Mittelos recruiter made an appearance last night. Where has he been all this time? Seems like he is Ben’s right-hand man as Ben was not afraid to discuss anything around him (for example…when he told Locke that he had to create the illusion that the Others could leave any time they wanted…something he probably didn’t want any of the Others to know). Well we do know that there is definitely a direct connection between Mittelos, the Island and who is controlling the Island (although we don’t know who that is).
-----
Well I know I’m just scratching the surface here, and I would love to hear what you thought of the episode, so feel free to respond and voice your theories!
Until next time…
Namaste.
SFO
22 February 2007
"Stranger in a Strange Land" -Episode 3.09-
Greetings!
I hope this message finds you well. While I have come to love writing about LOST every week, I am struggling to do it this time. I was sorely disappointed with this episode and hopefully by putting my thoughts on
paper I will come to some new revelations. However, my initial reaction is that the episode totally stalled the momentum that was building in the previous two — it was repetitive, boring and classic "filler" material.
*sigh*
So, we found out how Jack got his tattoo (or part of it at least), we know where the children and Cindy are, and we realized how idiotic Sawyer is... Were these the THREE HUGE MYSTERIES REVEALED?? Was there anything in this episode we didn't know?
I cannot believe that after such an amazing and tantalizing Desmond episode last week, they made us sit through this. I'll try to bring up some relative, and hopefully interesting points, but I'm not sure I'll have much to say.
-----
"Stranger in a Strange Land" - Episode 309 -
1) Jack's flashback — We already knew Jack went to Thailand and that is where he got his tattoo...or mark. The only new thing we found out is who gave him this mark, what it "means" (not says), and what the immediate consequences of it were. I felt overall that this flahsback story was flat. We can figure out that this took place shortly after his divorce with Sarah and prior to his return to the States to deal with his dad, but it lacked any real substance. If we never knew the specifics of this story it would not affect our perception of Jack. Now, for example, if we never learned of Jack's divorce and/or his daddy problems, then he would be somewhat of a mystery to us. But does it really take a "seer" to tell us Jack is a leader and that he is lonely and angry?? We could have told him that after watching the pilot episode!
2) When will the right questions be asked? — A LOT of people are complaining about this episode. Most are simply frustrated with the characters not pressing for answers. Like Sawyer letting Karl go... Good grief, the kid obviously has been on the Island for some time and knows SOMETHING about what the Others are doing. But Sawyer decides to let him go to probably die trying to get his girl back. I don't think it would be as bad if the characters at least ASKED the questions and then didn't get defined answers...but they are not even asking!
I read an interesting post (thanks "MerlboroMan") that included a few instances of dialogue where one extra line would have made a big difference —
-----------------------
"I get frustrated with the show sometimes, as much as I love it, and it's because it feels like there is 'intelligent' dialogue missing. Last night was a prime example of where if one person would have said one more thing at the right time we may have actually learned something.
For example:
Tom: People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
Missing Jack response: Exactly how does that apply? What did we ever do to you to deserve what you've done to us?
---
Kate: Better life than what?
Karl: Better than yours.
Missing Kate Response: So rather than help people who crash landed on an island you just randomly kidnap whomever you deem worthy of a better life?
---
Cindy: She wants to know how is Ana Lucia?
Jack: Are you kidding?...
Missing Jack Rant: Ana Lucia is dead because of these people!
---
See there, one extra line and we've actually got some tension and some pointed questions that may actually give us answers. I feel however, that sometimes, the writers dumb down the charactes in order to keep up
certain mysteries. That's not good writing, that's poor execution."
--------------------
Certainly this is arguable, but right now it seems that keeping the mysteries hidden is the higher priority.
3) The turnaround — Okay, so, I DO trust that the writers know what they are doing and that they are giving us all of this for a reason. I believe it was a transitional episode (hopefully) to set us up for some
big info on the Others. I think we will begin to see the Others in a different light once we learn about what they were doing before our LOSTies showed up. I'm really starting to entertain the thought of Jack
becoming...one of them...the new Ethan. This would be a great direction to head in — the LOSTies spend lots of time and energy to rescue Jack and when they find him, he does not want to return with them. Or better
yet, during their search for him, they meet a creepy Ethan-esque Jack in the jungle who attacks them and yells, "I TOLD YOU NEVER TO COME BACK!!!!" Hahaha, yeah, I know, I'm way ahead of myself but with LOST, even the most ridiculous ideas are possible.
One of the more interesting aspects of this episode was Isabel (the sheriff) and the structure of the disciplinary system that Others have set up. A trial for Juliet, eh? One in which all the captives (except Jack) and invited to watch? Hmmm, sounds a little fishy... Possibly a mock-trial to fool Jack and push him closer to Juliet? Why would they want that? Is Juliet aware? All I know is Isabel was creeping me out and I would have told her anything she wanted to know....apparently, she would've known if I was lying anyway.
----
Well I guess I had more to say than I originally thought. Still no new revelations. I have to admit that it's a little fun to take a turn "bashing" the show I have come to love so much. It was a little disappointing, mainly because the flow of the season feels inconsistent, but we have a lot of season left and I'm pretty sure they will use it to satisfy their fans. I think Damon Lindelof recently said something like (completely paraphrasing here), "We understand if fans get frustrated and upset after watching one episode — if they feel that way after the season ends, then that's a whole different story."
I truly hope you are enjoying the season, even if we get a couple of dud episodes. There are bound to be a few in a series like this, especially with so many mysteries and the fans picking them apart like crazy.
I still LOVE the show and have a great deal of respect for all those involved. I just hope we can start that momentum again and keep it rolling this time!
Namaste.
SFO
I hope this message finds you well. While I have come to love writing about LOST every week, I am struggling to do it this time. I was sorely disappointed with this episode and hopefully by putting my thoughts on
paper I will come to some new revelations. However, my initial reaction is that the episode totally stalled the momentum that was building in the previous two — it was repetitive, boring and classic "filler" material.
*sigh*
So, we found out how Jack got his tattoo (or part of it at least), we know where the children and Cindy are, and we realized how idiotic Sawyer is... Were these the THREE HUGE MYSTERIES REVEALED?? Was there anything in this episode we didn't know?
I cannot believe that after such an amazing and tantalizing Desmond episode last week, they made us sit through this. I'll try to bring up some relative, and hopefully interesting points, but I'm not sure I'll have much to say.
-----
"Stranger in a Strange Land" - Episode 309 -
1) Jack's flashback — We already knew Jack went to Thailand and that is where he got his tattoo...or mark. The only new thing we found out is who gave him this mark, what it "means" (not says), and what the immediate consequences of it were. I felt overall that this flahsback story was flat. We can figure out that this took place shortly after his divorce with Sarah and prior to his return to the States to deal with his dad, but it lacked any real substance. If we never knew the specifics of this story it would not affect our perception of Jack. Now, for example, if we never learned of Jack's divorce and/or his daddy problems, then he would be somewhat of a mystery to us. But does it really take a "seer" to tell us Jack is a leader and that he is lonely and angry?? We could have told him that after watching the pilot episode!
2) When will the right questions be asked? — A LOT of people are complaining about this episode. Most are simply frustrated with the characters not pressing for answers. Like Sawyer letting Karl go... Good grief, the kid obviously has been on the Island for some time and knows SOMETHING about what the Others are doing. But Sawyer decides to let him go to probably die trying to get his girl back. I don't think it would be as bad if the characters at least ASKED the questions and then didn't get defined answers...but they are not even asking!
I read an interesting post (thanks "MerlboroMan") that included a few instances of dialogue where one extra line would have made a big difference —
-----------------------
"I get frustrated with the show sometimes, as much as I love it, and it's because it feels like there is 'intelligent' dialogue missing. Last night was a prime example of where if one person would have said one more thing at the right time we may have actually learned something.
For example:
Tom: People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
Missing Jack response: Exactly how does that apply? What did we ever do to you to deserve what you've done to us?
---
Kate: Better life than what?
Karl: Better than yours.
Missing Kate Response: So rather than help people who crash landed on an island you just randomly kidnap whomever you deem worthy of a better life?
---
Cindy: She wants to know how is Ana Lucia?
Jack: Are you kidding?...
Missing Jack Rant: Ana Lucia is dead because of these people!
---
See there, one extra line and we've actually got some tension and some pointed questions that may actually give us answers. I feel however, that sometimes, the writers dumb down the charactes in order to keep up
certain mysteries. That's not good writing, that's poor execution."
--------------------
Certainly this is arguable, but right now it seems that keeping the mysteries hidden is the higher priority.
3) The turnaround — Okay, so, I DO trust that the writers know what they are doing and that they are giving us all of this for a reason. I believe it was a transitional episode (hopefully) to set us up for some
big info on the Others. I think we will begin to see the Others in a different light once we learn about what they were doing before our LOSTies showed up. I'm really starting to entertain the thought of Jack
becoming...one of them...the new Ethan. This would be a great direction to head in — the LOSTies spend lots of time and energy to rescue Jack and when they find him, he does not want to return with them. Or better
yet, during their search for him, they meet a creepy Ethan-esque Jack in the jungle who attacks them and yells, "I TOLD YOU NEVER TO COME BACK!!!!" Hahaha, yeah, I know, I'm way ahead of myself but with LOST, even the most ridiculous ideas are possible.
One of the more interesting aspects of this episode was Isabel (the sheriff) and the structure of the disciplinary system that Others have set up. A trial for Juliet, eh? One in which all the captives (except Jack) and invited to watch? Hmmm, sounds a little fishy... Possibly a mock-trial to fool Jack and push him closer to Juliet? Why would they want that? Is Juliet aware? All I know is Isabel was creeping me out and I would have told her anything she wanted to know....apparently, she would've known if I was lying anyway.
----
Well I guess I had more to say than I originally thought. Still no new revelations. I have to admit that it's a little fun to take a turn "bashing" the show I have come to love so much. It was a little disappointing, mainly because the flow of the season feels inconsistent, but we have a lot of season left and I'm pretty sure they will use it to satisfy their fans. I think Damon Lindelof recently said something like (completely paraphrasing here), "We understand if fans get frustrated and upset after watching one episode — if they feel that way after the season ends, then that's a whole different story."
I truly hope you are enjoying the season, even if we get a couple of dud episodes. There are bound to be a few in a series like this, especially with so many mysteries and the fans picking them apart like crazy.
I still LOVE the show and have a great deal of respect for all those involved. I just hope we can start that momentum again and keep it rolling this time!
Namaste.
SFO
16 February 2007
"Not In Portland" -Episode 3.07-
Greetings!
Ah, how good it feels to be writing about this again. I have sorely missed the weekly dose of our favorite show and am more than happy to again be giving my time to dissect these new episodes.
The rest of this season will be full of new twists, turns, revelations and of course, questions. But by the end of season 3, I think there will be some closure to the Others, why they are there, and why they do what they do. Remember how foreign the hatch was at the beginnig of season 2? Well I believe we will reach a similar sense of closure with the Others as we did with the hatch as the end of last season.
Okay, now to the episode...
"Not in Portland"
1) The first Other flashback — Juliet is, in fact, a fertility doctor. But not just any fertility doctor, she is apparently one who is leading new research and one who is highly demanded (at least by Mittelos). She
successfully impregnated a male mouse, and her sister as well. (You probably won't hear that last comment in any other context.) So what exactly does this treatment consist of? How long had she been injecting
her sis with that juice? Should Juliet have been more concerned with trying to get her sister healthy first before impregnating her? Why was her research so radical? Is it possible that Rachel was a man at one point?
As usual, lots of questions raised... But I think there are two main things to take away from this first Juliet flashback — one, we know why Mittelos/Hanso/the Others wanted her (her successful experiment was a large part of this) and second, the flashback was to show us how Juliet has transformed from an emotionally weak follower to a ruthless, coldblooded leader.
(Also, did anyone notice the Oceanic plane landing as Juliet opened the window to show the Miami skyline? Did anyone notice the bus waiting just about 100 yards down the road while Juliet spoke with her ex? Sneaky, sneaky Mr. Hanso...ahem, I mean Alpert)
2) Mittelos — What exactly is Mittelos? Why exactly do they want Juliet? I think it is safe to assume that she was brought to the Island shortly after her meeting with (creepy) Ethan and Jason Alpert to do some sort of fertility experiment. Who's womb was shown to Juliet in her interview? A 26-year-old with the womb of a 70-year-old? Was this women/is this
woman on the Island? Hmmm... And apparently he was right, they do extensive recruiting — Ethan and Dr. Alpert set up close to Juliet and her sister to get the inside scoop. But what is the connection between
Mittelos and the Others?
I read that the creators said this episode would feature an anagram meaning something very important. Many people believe that Mittelos is it. Mittelos can be rearranged to read "Lost time" or "Time lost." Some
believe that this is referencing the "jump the shark" moment that is supposed to occur this season...possibly some sort of time traveling/time manipulating/time folding allusion. Others believe it is simply another red herring meant to lead our attention away from what is really going on. Either way, the Mittelos dudes were creepy, they killed
Edmund Burke (in my opinion) and they took fair Juliet away from her sister and into the clutches of Ben.
3) "I'm Tom, by the way" — I don't know about any of you, but Tom is starting to grow on me. He's been labeled "the Hurley of the Others" because everyone seems to like him. Kinda hard to believe that not too
long ago he was the creepy bearded dude that told our LOSTies to stay away. How could anyone be scared of Tom? Funny too, how he was so disgusted by blood, haha.
4) The boss's daughter — I think this was the most we have seen of Alex in the entire series. Clearly there is a rift between her and the rest of the Others but I'm not sure for what reason, other than that her and Karl probably do not agree with what the Others are doing. She was called Ben's daughter in this episode, but I don't necessarily think that means she is his biological offspring. Rosseau's Alex was taken when she was a baby and so she was probably raised by Ben and the Others. Then again, who knows if and when Rosseau is telling the truth?
5) Jack — What else needs to be said? Love him or hate him, he's keeping this story going. I love to see Jack in control...even if he doesn't know how to use his inside voice. Since Jack has completed his end of the bargain, will Ben let him go "home?" Or did his little outburst during the surgery ruin that chance for him? It will be interesting to see how Jack is treated now since he saved Ben's life. I hope he'll get some say in matters, but something tells me that's not going to happen just yet...
6) "At the end of the hall, Room 23" — Woh, what was that room where Karl was being held? I totally reacted the same way as Sawyer...totally entranced. Was this a way to brainwash or reprogram Others who have disobeyed? Or was it simply punishment? Did Sawyer see something in
particular that caught his attention or was he just caught off guard? I'm sure that in due time, the people who are more obsessed with LOST than I am will post every frame of that video Karl was being shown.
And you know I'll pass the links along...
Also, Kate did not seem to be affected much by the weirdness of this room. Is it possible that she has been in there before and knew to look away in order not to be taken by the video? She did look awfully rough when she came back from her breakfast with Ben. I remember Walt saying that he did not want to go back into "the room" when he was being taken away from Michael at the end of season 2. Maybe Walt has also been inside this place?
7) Yay, Pickett's dead! — If you hate Juliet, you had to at least like her during that second when she shot that bastard. That might be the one character I will not miss! Oh wait, make it two. (...Ana Lucia...)
Okay well that's all the time I have for this week. I'm sure there's a lot I missed so please feel free to write back and get the discussion going. I didn't have much time to edit so hope you can make sense of my blathering.
I am really looking forward to the rest of this season and I think it will rise above anything we have seen yet. I am waiting on the edge of my seat for the "jump the shark" moment!
Namaste.
SFO
Ah, how good it feels to be writing about this again. I have sorely missed the weekly dose of our favorite show and am more than happy to again be giving my time to dissect these new episodes.
The rest of this season will be full of new twists, turns, revelations and of course, questions. But by the end of season 3, I think there will be some closure to the Others, why they are there, and why they do what they do. Remember how foreign the hatch was at the beginnig of season 2? Well I believe we will reach a similar sense of closure with the Others as we did with the hatch as the end of last season.
Okay, now to the episode...
"Not in Portland"
1) The first Other flashback — Juliet is, in fact, a fertility doctor. But not just any fertility doctor, she is apparently one who is leading new research and one who is highly demanded (at least by Mittelos). She
successfully impregnated a male mouse, and her sister as well. (You probably won't hear that last comment in any other context.) So what exactly does this treatment consist of? How long had she been injecting
her sis with that juice? Should Juliet have been more concerned with trying to get her sister healthy first before impregnating her? Why was her research so radical? Is it possible that Rachel was a man at one point?
As usual, lots of questions raised... But I think there are two main things to take away from this first Juliet flashback — one, we know why Mittelos/Hanso/the Others wanted her (her successful experiment was a large part of this) and second, the flashback was to show us how Juliet has transformed from an emotionally weak follower to a ruthless, coldblooded leader.
(Also, did anyone notice the Oceanic plane landing as Juliet opened the window to show the Miami skyline? Did anyone notice the bus waiting just about 100 yards down the road while Juliet spoke with her ex? Sneaky, sneaky Mr. Hanso...ahem, I mean Alpert)
2) Mittelos — What exactly is Mittelos? Why exactly do they want Juliet? I think it is safe to assume that she was brought to the Island shortly after her meeting with (creepy) Ethan and Jason Alpert to do some sort of fertility experiment. Who's womb was shown to Juliet in her interview? A 26-year-old with the womb of a 70-year-old? Was this women/is this
woman on the Island? Hmmm... And apparently he was right, they do extensive recruiting — Ethan and Dr. Alpert set up close to Juliet and her sister to get the inside scoop. But what is the connection between
Mittelos and the Others?
I read that the creators said this episode would feature an anagram meaning something very important. Many people believe that Mittelos is it. Mittelos can be rearranged to read "Lost time" or "Time lost." Some
believe that this is referencing the "jump the shark" moment that is supposed to occur this season...possibly some sort of time traveling/time manipulating/time folding allusion. Others believe it is simply another red herring meant to lead our attention away from what is really going on. Either way, the Mittelos dudes were creepy, they killed
Edmund Burke (in my opinion) and they took fair Juliet away from her sister and into the clutches of Ben.
3) "I'm Tom, by the way" — I don't know about any of you, but Tom is starting to grow on me. He's been labeled "the Hurley of the Others" because everyone seems to like him. Kinda hard to believe that not too
long ago he was the creepy bearded dude that told our LOSTies to stay away. How could anyone be scared of Tom? Funny too, how he was so disgusted by blood, haha.
4) The boss's daughter — I think this was the most we have seen of Alex in the entire series. Clearly there is a rift between her and the rest of the Others but I'm not sure for what reason, other than that her and Karl probably do not agree with what the Others are doing. She was called Ben's daughter in this episode, but I don't necessarily think that means she is his biological offspring. Rosseau's Alex was taken when she was a baby and so she was probably raised by Ben and the Others. Then again, who knows if and when Rosseau is telling the truth?
5) Jack — What else needs to be said? Love him or hate him, he's keeping this story going. I love to see Jack in control...even if he doesn't know how to use his inside voice. Since Jack has completed his end of the bargain, will Ben let him go "home?" Or did his little outburst during the surgery ruin that chance for him? It will be interesting to see how Jack is treated now since he saved Ben's life. I hope he'll get some say in matters, but something tells me that's not going to happen just yet...
6) "At the end of the hall, Room 23" — Woh, what was that room where Karl was being held? I totally reacted the same way as Sawyer...totally entranced. Was this a way to brainwash or reprogram Others who have disobeyed? Or was it simply punishment? Did Sawyer see something in
particular that caught his attention or was he just caught off guard? I'm sure that in due time, the people who are more obsessed with LOST than I am will post every frame of that video Karl was being shown.
And you know I'll pass the links along...
Also, Kate did not seem to be affected much by the weirdness of this room. Is it possible that she has been in there before and knew to look away in order not to be taken by the video? She did look awfully rough when she came back from her breakfast with Ben. I remember Walt saying that he did not want to go back into "the room" when he was being taken away from Michael at the end of season 2. Maybe Walt has also been inside this place?
7) Yay, Pickett's dead! — If you hate Juliet, you had to at least like her during that second when she shot that bastard. That might be the one character I will not miss! Oh wait, make it two. (...Ana Lucia...)
Okay well that's all the time I have for this week. I'm sure there's a lot I missed so please feel free to write back and get the discussion going. I didn't have much time to edit so hope you can make sense of my blathering.
I am really looking forward to the rest of this season and I think it will rise above anything we have seen yet. I am waiting on the edge of my seat for the "jump the shark" moment!
Namaste.
SFO
"Flashes Before Your Eyes" -Episode 3.08-
Greetings!
I hope this message finds you well. My head is still spinning from this episode as it was such a pivotal point in the show. Of course it was very LOSTesque and yet completely different from anything we have seen
before. I think it represents Desmond very well, and how he differs from everyone else on the Island.
--
Season 3 — Episode 308
"Flashes Before Your Eyes"
Oh where to begin.....Well, in the spirit of a new episode format, I'll try something different too. Let me just tell you what I think happened in this episode and what I believe is happening overall...
While I was at first confused by this episode, I've come to the conclusion that it was pretty straightforward — "Flashes Before Your Eyes" was
Desmond's interactive flashback. Right after he turned the failsafe key (or right before, I haven't decided), Desmond's life flashes before his eyes (hence the episode name) and he relives two extremely important (and painful) days from his life prior to crashing on the Island. This might seem obvious, but at first I was looking for something that wasn't
there. I wanted it to be some crazy time traveling episode where LOST presented something completely unexpected...but eventually I realized that by giving us a straightforward episode, that's exactly what they
were doing.
This flashback was the earliest in Desmond's life that we've seen. This is how I understand his life so far: He has been with Penny for two years and goes to ask Mr. Widmore's permission for her hand in marriage. After being denied, he breaks it off with Pen and eventually joins the military (the Royal Scots?), after which (an unspecified amount of time) he goes to jail for "following men's orders." He is released and he meets Mr. Widmore again and is told that he can never contact her or see her again. He then begins to train for the race (to prove he is a great man), enters, and crashes on the Island. He spends three years there, mostly with Kelvin, and then meets our LOSTies. After the computer is destroyed (the first time) Desmond goes to find the sailboat and disappears for two weeks. He shows up again just in time to turn the failsafe key (after the computer is destroyed for the second time...this time for good!) and has his crazy-real flashback. He wakes up in anguish as he realizes he is back on the Island...but he is changed...significantly...as he can now see "flashes" of the future.
What led me to the conclusion (at least for now) that it was simply a flashback (and not some sort of timp loop or time travel) were the old ring-selling woman (which I believe to be Desmond's subconscious, as he mentions) and the Dharma/Hatch elements incorporated into it — Pen saying "the end of the world," the microwave beeping, "delivery for 815," the Mama Cass song, the art in Widmore's office, etc. Desmond simply relived/dreamed/hallucinated the most important days of his life right after spending three years in that hatch. So it's kind of like when you fall asleep watching a movie and have a dream with lots of
elements of that movie.
Some people are claiming this episode confirms the time loop/time travel theory, and "Flashes Before Your Eyes" certainly can support this. I've read theories that say every character is in a time loop and that's why eerie things happen like, for example, Locke predicting when the rain would start and stop in season 1, Walt showing up all over the place, etc. Some also believe that the flashbacks we see are not entirely truth, but instead are memories based on fact and influenced by what is currently happening on the Island. So when other characters show up in pre-Island flashbacks, they were "placed" there by the person and are not what exactly happened. And that's what memories usually consist of — part fact, part what we wanted, or didn't want, to happen.
The other major theory this episode brought to life is alternate realities, which is based on the time loop theory. If these characters are living the experience over and over, Desmond might have created an alternate
reality by purchasing the ring and/or warning the bartender and getting hit in the head. But as we learned. the universe has a way of course-correcting — so does that mean the bartender would have eventually
"paid his debt," and Desmond's interference would not have mattered as much? Des did throw the ring away...
I am not turning down these theories yet because, while they may be a
little "out there" right now, it seems that LOST is heading deeper into the science fiction realm. And I like it. I'm ready for it to get really weird and abstract and continue to "kill off" casual viewers. But I am not convinced of the time shifting quite yet. I think the evidence still allows us to live in the somewhat believeable world and see Desmond's experience as a flashback.
--
As far as what is happening on the show as a whole...I believe we are just now entering the real mythology of the Island. Our LOSTies are just one small piece of the puzzle. While we got to know them very well, they are
many other entities on this Island. Season 3 will focus on the Others, season 4 on another central entity/mystery, with (hopefully) season 5 as the finale. The LOSTies will continue to be integral to the mysteries of their new home but there is a much bigger picture.
The Hanso Foundation is still involved. There is an interactive game, The LOST Experience (which consists of puzzles, video clips, bogus websites, etc.), that provides an alternate storyline. It occurs in the present (2006-2007) and tells the story of how Alvar Hanso was recently in jail (possibly because of what he was doing on the Island, or possibly because of his colleagues). The game will not change anything that happens in the show, since it takes place after our LOSTies' experience is over, but may provide insights on what exactly The Hanso Foundation is all about. This is assuming, of course, that there is an end to their experience...
--
Well that's all for now, folks. Hope you enjoyed the episode! I can't wait to see what the writers have up their sleeves!
Namaste.
SFO
I hope this message finds you well. My head is still spinning from this episode as it was such a pivotal point in the show. Of course it was very LOSTesque and yet completely different from anything we have seen
before. I think it represents Desmond very well, and how he differs from everyone else on the Island.
--
Season 3 — Episode 308
"Flashes Before Your Eyes"
Oh where to begin.....Well, in the spirit of a new episode format, I'll try something different too. Let me just tell you what I think happened in this episode and what I believe is happening overall...
While I was at first confused by this episode, I've come to the conclusion that it was pretty straightforward — "Flashes Before Your Eyes" was
Desmond's interactive flashback. Right after he turned the failsafe key (or right before, I haven't decided), Desmond's life flashes before his eyes (hence the episode name) and he relives two extremely important (and painful) days from his life prior to crashing on the Island. This might seem obvious, but at first I was looking for something that wasn't
there. I wanted it to be some crazy time traveling episode where LOST presented something completely unexpected...but eventually I realized that by giving us a straightforward episode, that's exactly what they
were doing.
This flashback was the earliest in Desmond's life that we've seen. This is how I understand his life so far: He has been with Penny for two years and goes to ask Mr. Widmore's permission for her hand in marriage. After being denied, he breaks it off with Pen and eventually joins the military (the Royal Scots?), after which (an unspecified amount of time) he goes to jail for "following men's orders." He is released and he meets Mr. Widmore again and is told that he can never contact her or see her again. He then begins to train for the race (to prove he is a great man), enters, and crashes on the Island. He spends three years there, mostly with Kelvin, and then meets our LOSTies. After the computer is destroyed (the first time) Desmond goes to find the sailboat and disappears for two weeks. He shows up again just in time to turn the failsafe key (after the computer is destroyed for the second time...this time for good!) and has his crazy-real flashback. He wakes up in anguish as he realizes he is back on the Island...but he is changed...significantly...as he can now see "flashes" of the future.
What led me to the conclusion (at least for now) that it was simply a flashback (and not some sort of timp loop or time travel) were the old ring-selling woman (which I believe to be Desmond's subconscious, as he mentions) and the Dharma/Hatch elements incorporated into it — Pen saying "the end of the world," the microwave beeping, "delivery for 815," the Mama Cass song, the art in Widmore's office, etc. Desmond simply relived/dreamed/hallucinated the most important days of his life right after spending three years in that hatch. So it's kind of like when you fall asleep watching a movie and have a dream with lots of
elements of that movie.
Some people are claiming this episode confirms the time loop/time travel theory, and "Flashes Before Your Eyes" certainly can support this. I've read theories that say every character is in a time loop and that's why eerie things happen like, for example, Locke predicting when the rain would start and stop in season 1, Walt showing up all over the place, etc. Some also believe that the flashbacks we see are not entirely truth, but instead are memories based on fact and influenced by what is currently happening on the Island. So when other characters show up in pre-Island flashbacks, they were "placed" there by the person and are not what exactly happened. And that's what memories usually consist of — part fact, part what we wanted, or didn't want, to happen.
The other major theory this episode brought to life is alternate realities, which is based on the time loop theory. If these characters are living the experience over and over, Desmond might have created an alternate
reality by purchasing the ring and/or warning the bartender and getting hit in the head. But as we learned. the universe has a way of course-correcting — so does that mean the bartender would have eventually
"paid his debt," and Desmond's interference would not have mattered as much? Des did throw the ring away...
I am not turning down these theories yet because, while they may be a
little "out there" right now, it seems that LOST is heading deeper into the science fiction realm. And I like it. I'm ready for it to get really weird and abstract and continue to "kill off" casual viewers. But I am not convinced of the time shifting quite yet. I think the evidence still allows us to live in the somewhat believeable world and see Desmond's experience as a flashback.
--
As far as what is happening on the show as a whole...I believe we are just now entering the real mythology of the Island. Our LOSTies are just one small piece of the puzzle. While we got to know them very well, they are
many other entities on this Island. Season 3 will focus on the Others, season 4 on another central entity/mystery, with (hopefully) season 5 as the finale. The LOSTies will continue to be integral to the mysteries of their new home but there is a much bigger picture.
The Hanso Foundation is still involved. There is an interactive game, The LOST Experience (which consists of puzzles, video clips, bogus websites, etc.), that provides an alternate storyline. It occurs in the present (2006-2007) and tells the story of how Alvar Hanso was recently in jail (possibly because of what he was doing on the Island, or possibly because of his colleagues). The game will not change anything that happens in the show, since it takes place after our LOSTies' experience is over, but may provide insights on what exactly The Hanso Foundation is all about. This is assuming, of course, that there is an end to their experience...
--
Well that's all for now, folks. Hope you enjoyed the episode! I can't wait to see what the writers have up their sleeves!
Namaste.
SFO
07 February 2007
Has the day finally arrived?
February 7th —
It is the day I have been waiting for since 10:00 p.m. November 8th, 2006.
All of those who know what this day means, I congratulate you, and wish you the best during the next 16 weeks as we delve deeper into the mystery and mythology of the Island, our second home.
I have a feeling it is all just beginning...
It is the day I have been waiting for since 10:00 p.m. November 8th, 2006.
All of those who know what this day means, I congratulate you, and wish you the best during the next 16 weeks as we delve deeper into the mystery and mythology of the Island, our second home.
I have a feeling it is all just beginning...
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